


Legerdemain

by mewgirl1995



Series: Wordplay [1]
Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Light Is Not Kira, Alternate Universe - No Death Note, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder Mystery, Mutual Pining, Serial Killers, Shinigami Eyes, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-01-08 07:40:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12249966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewgirl1995/pseuds/mewgirl1995
Summary: Three murders in Japan mark the beginning of what seems to be a slightly abnormal copycat case. However, it turns into a much more complicated scheme that pushes L and Light to their limits in order to solve it and catch the killer.





	1. Chapter 1

"Light! Dad's press conference is about to start!" Sayu yelled from the living room. Light finished writing the last few sentences of his summer report before glancing up. "Hurry!" With a sigh, Light closed his book and set it aside. He had hoped To-Oh university would provide more rigor than high school had and had even requested more summer homework projects to get through. However, it unfortunately had been much of the same monotony. He was finished with everything soon after the break had begun. "Light, you're going to miss it!"

"I'm coming." Light walked into the living room. Part of him was still annoyed that the police had not allowed him to help with their newest case. It hadn't been a problem in the past. Yet, Sochiro was very insistent that Light was not allowed to get involved. Apparently, it was too dangerous. Even Matsuda kept his mouth shut about details concerning the case.

As Light sat down, Sayu gestured to the TV. "There's dad!" Her eyes shone brightly as she leaned forward. "Soon you'll be with him at these."

"I hope to graduate university early," Light said. "So, it shouldn't be too much longer." Sayu's grin widened.

Cameras flashed as Soichiro took to the small stage. "I know you all have a lot of questions," Soichiro said with a quiet and calm demeanor. Light always admired the way his father spoke. It was firm but kind. He had always been a good role model. "Unfortunately I do not have the best news for you." With a heavy sigh, Soichiro continued, "We believe the serial killer is copying the infamous Wara Ningyo Murders."

Gasps spread through the crowd and Light leaned forward alongside his sister. "That's why they wouldn't let me help with the case!" He said. "Dad must have thought it was too dangerous."

"As with the original murders wara ningyo have been found at each crime scene," Soichiro continued, speaking firmly over the crowd. "Due to this, we have called in assistance from the American FBI." A young woman stepped forward, holding her head high. "Agent Naomi Misora worked on the original case." Soichiro paused then continued, "L has also been contacted to consult us on the case as he too worked to solve the original." The crowd erupted as reporters began to ask a slew of questions.

Sayu's eyes widened in surprise. "L? The world-famous detective?" She looked to Light with a slight frown. "This must be really serious." Opposite of his sister's reaction to the news, a huge grin spread across Light's face. L was coming to Japan. Perhaps Light would be able to meet him. Though he would have to find some way to convince his father to let him work on the case first. "Light, you have a scheming look on your face." Sayu matched Light's smile and pulled her older brother's cheek.

"Sayu! Stop it!" Light slapped her hand away and rubbed his face. "Don't be a child." Sayu stuck her tongue out at him in response. "This would be perfect. University is well, quite frankly more boring than I expected, but a chance to work with L..." Light trailed off as his mind raced with excitement. If L really was the genius he claimed to be Light knew that he would finally have met his match. There would be someone who could understand him better than any of the others. Together they could solve the case.

"Maybe you should be more concerned with the serial killer loose in the city," Sayu said. She grabbed a pillow from the couch and clutched it close. "They're already killed three people."

"In the Wara Ningyo Murders case only three victims were ever killed," Light said. "They were killed relatively far apart. It's not like the culprit is killing someone every day." He leaned back on the couch. "I wonder if they perfectly copied the first three victims. Or is it the dolls that gave it away? Why do they think it's a copycat?"

"Maybe you should ask dad to work on the case again?" Sayu said with a shrug. "But I'm changing the channel since the conference is over." Light snatched the controller from her before she could press any buttons. "Light!"

"Wait a second," Light said.

The nervous chatter of the crowd died down and Naomi Misora stepped forward to speak. "I have dealt with a case similar to this before," She said. "I can assure you that we will solve it once again." A haunted smile graced her lips. "So far we are not releasing any details about the exact nature of the murders. We need to ensure that everything remains confidential until the killer is caught. Thank you." She didn't give any additional information and stayed calm as she left the stage with Sochiro. Light narrowed his eyes. He had to get in on that case.

Sayu snatched the controller away and changed the channel. "Are you going to ask Dad to let you work on the case again?" Sayu asked, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table.

"Of course," Light said. "This will be the case of the century."

"Won't it be dangerous?" She asked. "What if the killer goes after you?"

A smirk crossed Light's face. "In that case, I'll capture him."

With a laugh, Sayu nudged her brother in the side. "You'll have to protect us all then!" As she continued to laugh, Light smiled. He would protect them. No matter what he would make sure to get involved in the case and find the copycat killer. He would bring them to justice.

As Light waited for his father to return home he practiced what he was going to say over and over in his head. He ran a hand through his hair to smooth it down and positioned his midterm grades in an optimal position. He had been saving the report to show to his father at the right moment. Soichiro would see his excellent grades immediately and praise Light, then Light would propose to join the investigation team. He sat at the kitchen table with one of his books open and a snack. It was a perfect plan. The door opened and Light perked up, putting on his best smile. "Welcome home Dad."

Soichiro sighed as he took off his shoes and set down his briefcase. "How was your day Light?"

"It went well," Light said. "University was interesting as usual." The lie slipped off his tongue easily.

As Soichiro walked over to the kitchen table, he spotted the paper. "Top of your class?" Soichiro said with a huge smile. He squeezed Light's shoulder firmly. "Well done son, you've made me proud." With a yawn, Soichiro turned to go upstairs.

"The new copycat case must be tiring," Light said. Pausing, Soichiro looked back. He kept his hand firmly on the railing. Light continued smiling, despite his sudden nerves. "I could help. I'm sure that you will need all the support you can get."

"No," Soichiro said firmly.

"But Dad-"

"Light, I already explained to you that this particular case is too dangerous," Soichiro said, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

For a moment Light considered talking back, but instead he lowered his head. "Of course," Light said. "I'm sorry for bothering you about it again."

As Soichiro went up the stairs he said over his shoulder, "You'll be on the force soon enough Light. Don't rush it. Enjoy your youth." Light nodded. He waited until his father was out of sight to let his mask fall.

"Damn it," He muttered, grabbing the paper from the table. He crumpled it up and angrily threw it into the trash. "I can't wait anymore." The boredom was driving him insane. He paced around the room, before glancing over at his father's briefcase by the door. It would be easy to hack into the NPA's database if he had some clues to go off of. Knowing his father, Light wouldn't be surprised if he kept some key login information right in his case. He already figured out the combination lock for it. Tapping his fingers against his arm, Light figured he might as well read about the case. At least he wouldn't be bored.

The three murders by Japan BB, as he was currently dubbed by the police, were almost identical to the Los Angeles murders. Whoever the copycat was, they were showing the police they had an intense knowledge about the previous murders. Light leaned forward, reading the text with an intrigued expression. All of the victims were brutally murdered in different manners and wara ningyo were found at each crime scene. The killer was trying to attract attention. Light clicked through the photos, frowning. The only problem was that know the killer had completed the first three murders the rest would likely be completely random. As Light scrolled through the database, he read about more details about the original that were never revealed to the public. Light's eyes widened as he read. Apparently, every detail of every murder was replicated.

"Interesting," Light said. "He must have access to the police database." In the Wara Ningyo Murders case, the killer, known as Beyond Birthday used a code to reveal the times of each victim's death. Each murder occurred on specific days. In the original and copycat case the first three murders occurred on July 22nd, July 31st, and August 4th. The fourth murder would have occurred on August 13th when Beyond Birthday set himself on fire and Naomi arrested him. Light looked over at the calendar. There was only one more day until the fourth murder occurred. He frowned, scrolling through more details about the case. How did the killer choose his victims? Their ages were wildly different. Why would a copycat focus on such a strange set of murders? Perhaps they weren't just trying to attract attention. They must have been trying to attract someone's attention in particular. They must have been trying to attract L's attention and they had succeeded.

As Light jotted down notes, he heard his bedroom door creak open. "Sayu," He said with a hint of annoyance. "What is it?" Light closed the laptop and shoved his notes under his school notebook before turning to face his little sister.

"I almost snuck up on you this time." Sayu strolled over to the bed and sat down. She held an Algebra book in her lap and stared at Light with large pleading eyes. "Would you help me with this?"

"You're working on your homework already?" Light asked as he moved his chair and papers to make room on his desk. "That's unlike you."

Sayu looked embarrassed and glanced away as she answered, "Mom wants me to have a little done each week. I actually haven't worked on it at all though." She sighed. "She wants me to be more like you."

"It'll take you a while to catch up to me," Light said with a small smirk. "Maybe you should have begun working earlier."

"Well I was watching a show about up and coming models and Misa Misa was on it-"

Light sighed in frustration and waved Sayu over. "Come on, you need to get focused. You're in high school now."

With a small pout, Sayu nodded. She set the book down and opened it to where her problems were. "I know," She said quietly. "It's just hard to live up to the expectations you've set. Sometimes it makes me want to not even try."

"Well you should try anyway," Light said and ruffled Sayu's hair. "What are you having problems with?"

 

 

 

L tapped his fingers on the desk, staring at the case files in irritation. Everything was wrong. In the previous murders committed by Beyond Birthday the clues were more abstract. The newest clue was too easy. It was the only thing so far that differed from the original case. "Something is wrong with this situation," He mused aloud. The clues pointed to the next victim being Bairei Baba. He lived close to the NPA headquarters, which made setting up a sting easy. L leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he took a few bites of his cake. He knew that the copycat wouldn’t be as brilliant as Beyond Birthday, but everything about the clues seemed too simplistic. There was at least an 80% chance that it was a trap. Though the percentage continued to rise the longer L thought about it.

"What's wrong Ryuzaki?" Watari asked.

"Ensure that Naomi Misora and Soichiro Yagami do not go on that mission tomorrow," L said.

"Would you like to call it off altogether?" Watari asked.

Shaking his head, L leaned forward again and took a sip of his tea. "No, we still need to attempt to catch the killer now." Watari nodded before turning to walk away.

With an irritated sigh, L said, "I will play your game. You've clearly brought me here for a reason."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Updates will be on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	2. Chapter 2

The revelation came to Light as he reviewed the details about the copycat case. The clues pointed to the next murder occurring at 4:25PM on August 13th. The victim would be Bairei Baba, who lived in an apartment complex only a few blocks from the NPA headquarters. It was a perfect situation for the NPA. They were almost guaranteed to catch the killer. Why would they go through so much trouble replicating the original Wara Ningyo murders just to be caught and achieve nothing? Light's eyes widened in realization. The Wara Ningyo Murder case was well known to be one that L worked on as reported in the case files. If someone were to go after L, they would need to gather information about what kind of cases he was interested in. Therefore, anyone with a grudge against the detective would have to attract his attention first. 

"It's a trap," Light said aloud. He stood quickly, chair screeching. Everything clicked into place. The killer was taunting them. They wanted L to make an appearance. Then, they could kill him. Light pulled out his phone. It was just before four. If he ran he might be able to make it to the apartments. Was it worth trying? He knew that L wouldn't be foolish enough to go to the apartment building alone. However, he would send qualified detectives. He could send Soichiro. Light dialed his father's number as he raced down the stairs. 

"Hey Light where are you-"

Light ran straight past Sayu, hurrying to put on his shoes as he raced out. "I have to go out, I'll be back later."

"But dinner is almost done!" 

Ignoring Sayu, Light left the house, letting the door slam behind him. "The number you have dialed cannot be reached." 

"Damn it!" Light hung up the phone and dialed again. He received the same message. "Why aren't you answering?" He wondered if he should call the police station, but decided against it. If he spoke to the wrong person, he might accidentally incriminate himself. He had access to police records and had the intelligence to pull off the murders. No matter what, he couldn't let the police believe he was a suspect. Light shoved the phone into his pocket.  He raced around the corner, nearly bumping into a few people. As he reached the bus stop he saw that it was pulling away. "Wait!" With a frustrated groan, Light turned to run to the next stop. It would be faster than waiting. 

As Light reached the apartment building, his eyes searched for any member of the NPA. If he could just stall them, then it would be enough. Seconds ticked by. The mechanical whirring of his watch filled his ears. Light saw a team of police officers enter the building. His eyes darted across their faces and a wave of relief went over him as he realized Sochiro wasn't among them. He began to step forward but hesitated. The officers were too far away to hear him even if he did scream that it was a trap. It was too late. Light watched as the team entered the building, presumably racing up the stairs. Looking at his watch, Light saw that it was 4:25PM. Right on cue, an explosion rocked the building. Fire spread through the rooms as an alarm rang. Light's eyes widened in surprise. Whoever the copycat was, they were far worse than a normal serial killer. They were playing a game and the NPA was currently losing.

Everyone in the NPA headquarters recoiled as they watched the explosion on the screen. "So, it was a trap," L said with a sigh as he chewed on his thumb. "Well, that makes this more difficult." He reached forward to press the intercom button to speak to the investigation team. "Stay calm. It appears the copycat set a trap for us." 

"Which we walked right into!" Soichiro Yagami turned on the computer with L's insignia. A furious look covered his face. "This is why you held Ms. Misora and me back. You knew it was a trap!" Sochiro was an intelligent leader. He held justice above everything else. L knew he would not approve of sending the other officers to their possible death. Though he did it anyway. 

"I suspected there was a 90% chance of it being a trap," L said as scratched the back of his head. "I apologize for not communicating that to you." With a sigh, L continued. "Now that we know that it was a trap, I will reveal my second suspicion to you." It was already obvious that the police officers would not appreciate what L was about to say. "I believe that this killer is after me. That trap was set hoping that I'd walk into it."   

If the police force wasn't angry at him before, they certainly found outrage quickly. Whispers spread throughout the room. "Do you know who it is?" Naomi asked, her face more neutral than the rest. She knew how L worked. Out of everyone present, she was least surprised. 

"No," L said. "All I can tell is that they are someone with extreme intelligence who is bored and likely has a grudge against me." He tapped his fingers along the desk before grabbing a handful of candy. "I suspect they see this as a game. It will likely get worse from here on out." 

"And you're going to continue to hide while sending us out to our deaths?" 

"How is this fair?"

"You're not even showing your face!"

"We're the ones getting killed in this supposed game!" 

Soichiro silenced the rest of the NPA officers and faced the camera, eyes stern. "We will not tolerate using methods like this. We cannot sacrifice one another in order to catch this criminal!"  

L sighed and leaned back in his chair. Whoever the copycat was, their plan was to get L to reveal himself and then kill him. They were purposefully angering the NPA and turning them against one another, depleting L's resources. He would have to be less careless in the future. Briefly glancing amongst the gathered faces, L wondered which of them could be trusted. He would have to compromise to keep the police force on his side. Since he had already sacrificed their lives, L realized he needed to make a sacrifice as well. "If we are to catch this killer," L said. "We will need to use unconventional methods, however, you're right maybe we should be less callous." Soichiro appeared satisfied for the moment, but there was still a deep distrust in his eyes. "Since this is unintentionally my fault," L said. "I will agree to work with the NPA on a more personal basis." His words still did not relieve the general distrust in the room. "Detective Yagami, gather your most trusted people. I will meet face to face with your team alone." After a moment of consideration, he added, "Agent Misora, contact the FBI and request further agents to back us up. You will also be allowed to meet with me in person." After all, L had already met her in person though he doubted she realized it. "Watari will bring you to my location." Unwilling to hear any more complaints from the police force, L disconnected from the call. 

The first step was to review if the killer was at the crime scene. Many serial killers slipped up simply because they wanted to admire their work from afar. L pulled up the traffic cam footage around the apartment and watched. Most people seemed to be going about their normal routines. They passed by, unaware of any potential danger. The seconds ticked by, getting closer and closer to 4:25PM. Then, L noticed a figure suddenly appear. He ran towards the apartment building, arriving just before the explosion. "Who are you?" L said, pressing his thumb to his lips. "You look familiar." L continued to watch the feed until the stranger turned his head towards the camera. "Oh, I know." 

Before L got involved with the investigation he took the liberty of investigating the entire NPA. He pulled up his case notes about the Yagami family and opened one of the files. The elder child of Detective Yagami was brilliant. He had always been at the top of his class and was on track to graduate To-Oh University early to join the NPA alongside his father. Along with a laundry list of achievements, he was handsome and well-liked by his peers. L narrowed his eyes at the case file. Light achieved everything he ever tried. It must have been boring to be so perfect. "Congratulations on becoming my prime suspect Light Yagami."  

As Light walked through the door, both Sayu and Sachiko hugged him. He tried to pull away, but his mother caught him by the shoulders and held him firm, eyes boring into him. "Light, where have you been?" Sachiko asked with a stern expression. "We were worried about you!" 

"Did you hear about the explosion?" Sayu asked. "The news said that four police officers died!" 

Light nodded. He gently pulled away from his concerned family members. "Is dad okay? I tried calling him but he wasn't answering." To his relief, Sachiko smiled. 

"He called a bit ago," She said. "He is staying a little longer at work." 

Light pushed past his mother and sister. "I need to go work on something," He said, slipping off his shoes and hurrying upstairs. 

Sayu whirled around and called after him, "Light! Wait up!" She followed him too closely for him to slam the door and lock it. She shoved herself through the doorway and stared at him with a suspicious look. "What are you up to?" 

"Sayu, get out of my room." Light didn't have time for his sister to act petulant. 

"Why aren't you more worried about this psychopath?" Sayu said, stomping her foot. "Won't you talk about it?" 

With an angry sigh, Light shook his head. "There's no point in worrying about something you can't help. Dad and the NPA will catch-"

"After you rushed out earlier I saw what was on your desk." Sayu pointed and Light felt as if his heart stopped. How had he been stupid enough to leave his notes out? They were mostly in shorthand, but anyone who had some context could figure out what they said. "Did you know what was going to happen?" 

Light slammed the door shut so Sachiko wouldn't hear. He turned on his sister with a furious look. "I told you not to come into my room when I'm not here." 

"But-"

"You invaded my privacy," Light said, running a hand through his hair. 

Acknowledging his point, Sayu dropped her head. "I'm sorry." She kicked the floor. "You used to not care so much." Her tone surprised Light. He turned to face her with a small frown. "We used to be closer. Now it feels like you're so far away." Raising her eyes, Sayu asked, "Why are you so unreachable now?"

"Sayu," Light began to say. 

"You're working on a case about a serial killer in secret," Sayu continued. "You're putting yourself in danger!" 

"Dad doesn't know about this. No one should know about this." 

Opening his door, Light gestured for Sayu to leave. She stared at him with a defiant look and crossed her arms. "You shouldn't try to do this alone."

"Listen to me," Light said as he closed the door again. "There are multiple things I've figured out about this killer. One, whoever they are they are extremely intelligent. Two, they have access to police records. Three, they have a grudge against L for some reason. Four, they are bored." Sayu's eyebrows creased together at the last point but Light continued before she could say anything. "Three of those criteria place me right at the top of the suspect list. My presence at the crime scene only throws more suspicion onto me. If L is as good of a detective as they say he is, I could be a suspect right now. If I tell Dad any of this, I will become a suspect." Frustrated, Light pointed to his sister. "If you get involved then you become a suspect too, so I will do this on my own."

"We'll keep it a secret," Sayu said quickly. "I know I'm not as smart as you Light, but we're family. If Dad can't help you then I will!" With a smile, Sayu held out her pinky finger. "I promise." Light stared at her with narrowed eyes. The investigation wasn't some childhood game. People's lives were on the line. He knew it would be foolish of him to agree. "I'll do anything to help. Let's work together." 

Though Light had his doubts, Sayu's eyes shone with the same sense of justice Light possessed. It was something Sochiro worked hard to instill in both of them. Light clenched his hand and reopened it before reluctantly extending his pinky to Sayu. "Okay. Let's work together." Light sincerely hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for readings. Updates are on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	3. Chapter 3

Chief Yagami brought a handful of officers willing to put their lives on the line for L. He watched them introduce themselves one by one, before saying, "I hope you realize how you've put yourselves in terrible danger." L walked over to a chair and perched upon it, grabbing a handful of candy from the bowl beside it. "This serial killer, whoever he is, is after me. I do not know why exactly yet, though as I said before I suspect they are bored." L popped the handful of candy into his mouth and chewed, waiting to see if the officers had anything to say. "The killer is a genius and a madman rolled into one. I would not blame you if you changed your mind." 

"As long as he is free our city is in danger," Aizawa said. "It's in our own benefit to investigate." L nodded. 

"So put us to work L!" Matsuda said, eyes bright. He was the youngest member of the group and L could see that he was also the most naïve. 

"Call me Ryuzaki," L said. He noticed the brief uncomfortable look on Naomi's face. Beyond Birthday used that same pseudonym. When he met Naomi in the subway, she had that same expression as he introduced himself. It was understandable to have that reaction after all she had been through. "I had Watari prepare burn phones for all your communications with me. I've also had belts that can be used to send an emergency phone call to the rest of us." Watari passed out both items before L continued, "Currently, our top suspects are those with access to police information who may have been able to obtain details about the original BB serial murders case and myself. Furthermore, these suspects are of high intelligence and tend to be highly successful. They are ones who are most likely to seek out a game of sorts with myself." Watari passed out the case files. "Ms. Misora, I would like you to gather the FBI agents who are cooperating in the case and assign an agent to each suspect and-"

"Ryuzaki!" 

L sighed. Soichiro stared at the case file in disbelief. His eyes darting between it and back to L. "What is it Chief Yagami?" 

"My son is a suspect?" 

L chewed on his thumb. It was incorrect to say Light Yagami was just a suspect. In actuality, Light Yagami was his top suspect. He had privately instructed Naomi to have her fiancé, one of the most skilled agents, tail Light. There was an almost 75% chance that Light was the serial killer. The others were possibilities but far more unlikely. "Yes, he fits all of the qualifications." 

"I can guarantee you my son is not a killer."  

"Many friends and families of serial killers say that after they are arrested." Soichiro looked like he might respond, but considered L's point and looked away. "Now that the killer has caught our attention I doubt he will be playing by the rules of the Los Angeles case any longer. The suspects will be cleared after the next murder if we are not able to catch the killer before then and they have a reliable alibi." 

"We should name them," Matsuda said. "We can't just keep calling them the killer or the copycat, especially since they're not a copycat anymore!" L raised an eyebrow and waited for the young detective's suggestion. "Uh what about the Tokyo killer? Or detective killer? I guess he hasn't really killed any detectives." 

Before L could interrupt Matsuda's rambling, Naomi spoke up, "Gema." All eyes turned to her. "He sees this as a game, using old cases of Ryuzaki's in order to invite him to play. He's a player, a gamer." 

"Gema it is then." L stood and walked over to the members of the task force. "Shall we review our newest clues?" 

As Sayu dragged the oversized whiteboard into Light's room, he resisted the urge to scream at her. "Why do you have that?" He asked calmly. 

Sayu set the board up and grinned, gesturing to it with wide open arms. "It's our Gema investigation board!" She wrote "Gema" at the top and then turned to Light to hand him a marker. "We can update it with current clues about his next actions since they're changing all the time." She turned back and drew a small explosion on the board along with the words "fourth floor" and "room eighty-eight." 

"Sayu, if Mom or Dad come in then they will see this." 

"They won't come in," Sayu said with a wave of her hand. "They never barge in on you, that's why it has to be put in your room." 

Light decided to humor his sister rather than arguing any further. "So, are you saying the floor and room are clues?" When Sayu nodded, Light considered them for a moment. Both numbers were certainly significant in different ways. Many apartment buildings never labeled a floor as the fourth floor due to the number's association with death. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the number eight was linked to prosperity. Could the clue be read as the death of prosperity? Light stood and walked over to the board, jotting that note down. 

"Death of prosperity," Sayu repeated. "Maybe the next victim is a hardworking businessman. The kind that prospers so much they work themselves to death?" 

Light shook his head. "No, I think it references something else more specific." He wrote, "Deuteronomy 30:15" next to his previous note. "In this passage in the bible, it lists prosperity and life together as well as destruction and death. The passage juxtaposes those ideals."

"The next victim is a priest then?" Sayu asked. She hopped onto the bed, crossing her legs as she grabbed Light's laptop and searched for the passage. "It talks a whole lot about obeying God. Maybe the victim is someone who is disobedient?" She scanned the text and then read, " 'But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish.' "

"Who is God in this scenario?" Light asked. "I doubt Gema would make it that literal. He's smarter than that." Light crossed his arms and stared at the board. "Who are the other gods? We're talking about opposing forces at the very least." He paced back and forth. "But who is an opposing force? Is this even the right clue or are we trailing down the wrong path?" 

"Do you think this Gema thinks of you as a God Ryuzaki?" Naomi asked, reading over their compiled clues. "Then who would the false gods be in this scenario?" 

"We're missing something," L said, chewing on his nails. "Something big." There was no way the clue was that literal. L had no doubt that some sort of god was involved, but the ideals must have been more complicated.  

"The shrine," Soichiro said. All eyes turned to him. "The Kanda Shrine." 

"What about it?" L asked, tilting his head to one side. "What's significant about it?" 

"Businessman go there every year to pray for prosperity," Aizawa said. "But that occurs at the beginning of the year." He frowned and leaned back in the armchair. "I doubt he's attacking the shrine now. It wouldn't fit with the clues."  

L frowned and considered the shrine. Would Gema consider that the false worship? If the passage from the Bible was the clue they were looking for, he might. Unless the shrine was the true God and something else represented the false gods. It would make more sense that way. "It certainly fits with the theme of prosperity." L spun in his chair as he thought, leaning his chin on the back of it. "So perhaps Gema is attacking a priest of that shrine?" 

"The public doesn't really see the ceremony as heathenistic," Soichiro said, shaking his head. "I don't see why a priest would be the target." 

"Prosperity," L muttered under his breath. "Death of prosperity. Heart turned away by another god. The Kanda shrine. Prosperity prayers." Every hint was right there, hovering just outside of his reach. He needed more information. "Maybe he plans to kill someone at the shrine. If he continues the pattern, we can expect to see another death in nine days on August 22nd."

"I doubt he plans on continuing the pattern," Naomi said. She stared out the window, tapping her fingers on the armrest. "He has no reason to. Imitating Beyond Birthday's murders were just to get your attention. At this point, Gema is completely unpredictable." She sighed and looked to L with a worried expression. "The floor and room number might not mean anything." 

"That is true," L said. "But while I agree that Gema will not play by Beyond Birthday's rules, I still find it likely that they will continue to leave clues. How can you play a game without having some inclination of what your opponent would do next?" L tilted his head to one side as he thought, narrowing his eyes. "Though, judging by the trap maybe Gema wants this to be a one-sided game. It would be smart to rig it in his favor." 

"Unless killing you is not his goal," Naomi said. "Beyond Birthday wanted to humiliate you by creating an unsolvable case." 

"You think that is Gema's goal as well?" 

Naomi shrugged. "Surely he knew you wouldn't go to that apartment?" 

It was a good point. L nodded and sighed, grabbing a cookie off the plate near his laptop. "You're right." 

"Could we maybe learn a bit more about this Beyond Birthday guy?" Matsuda asked. His eyes were bright with curiosity. 

"No. Read the case file about him if you really want to know more." The task force seemed surprised by L's harsh answer, but no one said anything else.

The clock ticked as Light stared at the whiteboard full of clues. Sayu laid on his bed, resting her head on her hands as she kicked her feet up and down. She chewed on her pen, scribbling answers to her homework every now and then as Light paced. They were missing something crucial. Light could tell they were close. All they needed was a person who fit in with all the clues they had unraveled. They hadn't gotten any further than Kanda shrine for most of the day. "It's getting late," Sayu said with a yawn. "Maybe we should quit for today." 

"I almost have it," Light said with a shake of his head. He sat down in his desk chair, crossing his legs and tapping his fingers across the desk's surface. 

Closing her book and setting it aside, Sayu laid her head down. "Okay," She said with a resigned sigh. "I'm going to rest for a bit."

It was almost midnight, but Light refused to quit until discovering further information. He stared at the clues, which were only a little more than words scribbled all over the shiny whiteboard's surface. Then it clicked. Light's eyes widened as he realized what they were missing. "I know!" Sayu raised her head back up as Light leaped up from his desk and strolled over to the whiteboard. "This past January Masahiko Kida of the Yotsuba Corporation mocked the practice of praying at Kanda shrine." Light smiled and wrote the businessman's name down. "He's the disobedient one, worshipping different gods." 

"So, he's the next victim?" Sayu asked with wide eyes. "Wow, the killer sure is impressive if he's going after a really rich and famous guy like that." 

"We need to figure out the details of his death," Light said. "If he even plans on giving any more clues, which I doubt he will." At first it seemed obvious that the explosion in the apartments was Gema's first attempt to kill L, but Light questioned whether or not Gema intended to kill him at all. It had begun to seem more likely that Gema's game involved making a mockery of the great detective. There would be no more clues as to how the victim would die. It only mattered who the victim was. "Let's go to Yotsuba tomorrow, we need to conduct more surveillance." 

"Sounds good Detective Yagami!" Sayu stood and grabbed her algebra book, stretching. "I'll go get some rest right away and meet you for breakfast bright and early." Light nodded and watched as she hurried out the door, turning to say, "Good night." 

"Good night."

While it was somewhat annoying to have his sister helping with the investigation, it was better than working alone. She had managed to help guide him to the hints needed to find Kida. Besides, going to his father was no longer an option. Until they caught the killer, Light needed to be extremely careful not to place himself under any further suspicion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your kudos and comments! Updates are on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning, Light put on his best suit before going to check on Sayu. She wore a floral dress with bright pink flowers. It looked like something someone would wear to a date. "We need to fit in," He said with a sigh. "Wear your best clothes. You need to look like a businesswoman."

"I wouldn't know what to wear," Sayu said. "I've never interned at a fancy office building like Yotsuba." Light hummed and walked over to Sayu's closet, pushing aside pretty dress after pretty dress. "Oh what about that one! Misa Misa wore it for the spring fashion show! It's the only one of hers that I've ever been able to afford!" 

"No," Light said and pushed the atrocious blue dress aside. He pulled out a plain black dress and pushed it into Sayu's hands. "Change into this." Once changed, Sayu came back out with her hair still up in a ponytail. "You can't wear your hair like that." 

"Why not?" Sayu asked. "It looks good." 

"You look like a kid," Light said and motioned for her to turn around. She did and he gently pulled the hair tie out and grabbed a brush from her desk. "The more professional we look the better," He said as he brushed out Sayu's hair. "I looked into it and found that Yotsuba has a finance internship," Light said. "They accept applicants as young as you and as old as me. All we have to do is pretend we're interested in the program." 

"But Light," Sayu said with a small frown. "How will that help?" 

"We will be able to look for additional clues," Light said, exchanging the hairbrush for a one of the portfolios he prepared. "They will give us a tour of the building and will likely introduce us to some of the higher ups." He handed Sayu the portfolio. "I printed your resume out and put it in there. They will want to see our resumes before even showing us around." He stared at Sayu before grabbing one of the tubes of lipstick from her desk. "Put this on too." 

"This seems like a bad idea," Sayu said, suddenly sounding very nervous. After applying the lipstick, she popped her lips and clutched the portfolio close. "What if is Gema is there?" 

"We're not the intended victim," Light said simply with a wave of his hand. "Be on the lookout for any wara ningyo dolls. I reviewed some footage of apartment building and saw someone place one at the entrance right before Bairei Baba entered. Unfortunately, they were very good at hiding their identity. I couldn't even tell for sure if they were male or female." 

"So, we also need to look out for more of those dolls?" Sayu said. "Alright, I can do that." 

Light hoped they would have been able to slip out before Sachiko noticed them, but unfortunately their mother was eagle eyed. "You two look so nice! Where are you going?" 

"Light is taking me to an interview," Sayu said quickly with a huge smile. 

"An interview?" Sachiko asked. "For a summer internship?" When Sayu nodded, her mother smiled widely. "Wonderful, you're such a good influence Light!" Before she could say anything else, the Yagami siblings hurried out the door. 

Halfway to Yotsuba Corporation, Light noticed that they he was being followed again. It was apparently not a coincidence that he saw the same man around every day for several days in a row. He chose not to mention it to Sayu for fear of scaring her. As they rounded the corner by a store, Light glanced at the reflection. The man following them was young. He made no attempt to cover his face. Overall, he looked entirely normal. Sayu tugged on Light's sleeve. "Light, what if they start asking me questions about their business or economics or really anything? I can't come up with answers on the spot like you!" 

"I wrote some information in the portfolio," Light said. "Just read it if you need additional help." Sayu nodded and flipped open the portfolio, scanning it as they walked. 

The lobby was empty when Light and Sayu arrived. The receptionist glanced up. She had a mixture of annoyance and curiosity on her face. Apparently, they were normally not too busy that time of day. "Hello," Light said with a slight bow. Sayu copied his actions. "My name is Light Yagami and this is my sister Sayu. We are here to inquire about the summer internship program." He flashed a smile. "I've heard about how successful Yotsuba was and I'm sure it would be good experience to work here." 

"I see," The receptionist said. "Let me call Mr. Mido. He is in charge of choosing the interns." As the receptionist turned away, Light shot a confident grin at Sayu. 

"What in the world is he up to?" L wondered aloud as Raye Penbar texted him information on Light's movements. He leaned back in his chair, eyeing the phone before him. "Interviewing for an internship with his little sister?" He cocked his head to one side. "Does this have something to do with the case?" Light Yagami was certainly intelligent and his actions were no coincidence. Whatever Light was doing at the building was important to the case. "Chief Yagami, is your daughter interested in finance?" 

Soichiro looked up with a confused glance. "No, why?" 

"Just curious." L paused as pushed his thumb against his lips. "Has anyone at Yotsuba ever expressed displeasure at the Kanda shrine tradition?" 

"Oh," Aizawa said, sitting up suddenly. "Last January, Masahiko Kida did. He called the ritual superstitious nonsense." 

"He must be the next target!" Matsuda exclaimed.

A mixture of annoyance and intrigue spread through L. If Light was Gema, then he was clearly just scoping out his next target. If he wasn't then he had gotten ahead of L on the case, by himself without the aid of anyone but his own sister. L would have to watch and see what happened next.

"It is an honor to meet you Mr. Mido," Light said with a smile. "I attend To-Oh University, which I heard you are an alumnus of." The businessman eyed Light before nodding slightly. "I would expect no less from a man of your stature. It is an excellent university." 

"So, you're both interested in the internship?" Mido asked with a curious glance at Sayu. "You don't seem very interested in finance?" He remarked to her. 

Her smile was shakier than Light's. "Ah well, I want to branch out." She shot a glance at Light before quickly continuing, "You studied law at To-Oh didn't you? Yet you ended up in finance." Light nodded approvingly. It seemed Sayu would be just fine.

Mido seemed satisfied at their answers and gave them a tour of the building. Light listened enough to answer any additional questions but his eyes searched for any sign of Gema. The only thing he noticed was how empty the building was. "You don't seem particularly busy on Wednesdays," Light remarked. 

"No, we're not."  

If the building was empty on Wednesdays, it would be easy to spot someone who was out of place. Gema would not attack on a Wednesday. "Then what days are you busiest?"

It took Mido a second to respond. "Probably Tuesdays and Thursdays." 

The murder would either occur the following day or the following week, Light was sure of it. They finished the tour with relatively little excitement. To Light's disappointment, they did not pass by Kida's office. When Light asked about him, Mido shrugged, "He actually takes Wednesdays off." The new information made Light frown. Another opportunity would be for Gema to kill Kida in his own home, which meant the murder might occur that day. He hoped that they still had a full week before that murder occurred.

As Sayu and Light walked home for the day, she grinned up at her brother with bright beaming eyes. "We're like secret agents!" Sayu said. "That was so cool!" 

"Be serious," Light scolded her gently and nudged her with his elbow. He held his head high and smiled. "We discovered some crucial information today." A rush of excitement spread through him, which he could see that Sayu shared. "While we didn't see Kida's office, I saw a placard that places it on the tenth floor. That number appears often in the Bible, which further links Kida to the clues." Sayu nodded. "I need to talk to Dad about this now that we've gathered enough information. I'll leave you out of it." 

"Yeah, I bet Dad will be angry enough that you were investigating this," Sayu said with a cocky smile. "I don't want to get in trouble too!" As she laughed and ran ahead, Light rolled his eyes. "Hey, while we're out let's go get some ice cream!" 

"Why not?" Light said. They deserved a reward. All of the pieces were falling into place. They would catch Gema in no time.

When L received the news that Kida was dead, Light and Sayu had long left Yotsuba Corporation and had both safely returned home. Raye Penbar had been following Light for over a week and observed nothing suspicious apart from the sudden trip to Yotsuba. According to his reports, L suspected Light was involved in the case but not as the murderer. "Chief Yagami," L said as they drove to Kida's home. "Your son is investigating the Gema case. He figured out the next victim's identity before us." 

"What?" Soichiro's eyes went wide. 

"Yes, I must admit he was my number one suspect," L said. "But it seems most likely he's not Gema. He's simply a bored genius who wants to help find Gema." He placed a lollipop in his mouth, looking to Soichiro. "Bring him to headquarters tomorrow. I want him to join the investigation team."

"He's barely out of high school," Soichiro protested with a small headshake. "He's not ready for detective work yet." 

"You've let him work on cases in the past." L pointed his candy at Soichiro with a disapproving look. "Why not this one?" 

 "Those were much more minor," Soichiro said, avoiding L's stare. It was clear that Soichiro feared Light working to catch a psychopath. Who knew if Gema would bore of killing random people and start targeting the detectives working to catch him?

With a shrug, L insisted, "I want Light to join our team. He would be a useful ally." If Light aided in the investigation they would catch Gema much, much faster. Based on what L had seen of him, he guessed that it would decrease their investigation time by at least 20%. 

The car arrived at Kida's home before Soichiro could protest any further. Though L had a feeling that Soichiro had not given up the argument yet. 

As they walked into the house, the first thing L noticed was how hot it was. "Is there a fireplace?" He asked. 

"Yes, it's still burning," Aizawa replied. L hummed under his breath. That was strange, why would he have his fireplace burning in the middle of summer? The body was situated in the living room. As they entered, L's eyes widened a bit in mild surprise. 

Masahiko Kida had been boiled alive. His skin showed tell-tale signs of recent burns from scalding water and when the coroner pulled open his mouth, L could see that his whole mouth and esophagus were burnt. "How horrible," Soichiro said, leaning down next to L. 

L raised his eyes and spotted a chess board next to the body. "Look," He said. The game was in endgame. Black had beaten white in a pawnless ending. "Interesting." L tapped his finger against his mouth, before scanning the room for anything else out of place. 

"L, what do you think of this?" Naomi called from across the room. "I found a wara ningyo." 

By Naomi was a small porcelain marionette and sitting in its lap was a wara ningyo. The doll wore twin braids with white ribbons keeping them in place. The dress the doll wore covered its arms and stretched almost all the way down its legs. It was a dark blue with white ribbons decorating it. "This must be the third clue," L said. He shrugged and turned back to the investigation team. "Let's take thorough pictures and notes before touching anything." His eyes snapped to the coroner. "How long has he been dead?" 

"An hour at most?" 

L chewed on his thumb. Kida had been killed at almost exactly eight. Sitting next to the doll was a stack of playing cards, L picked them up and flipped through. There were 52 cards, but only kings and eights. "Strange," L said.

"This is not like the LA case anymore," Naomi said quietly. "There's no longer an emphasis on the B's." She shifted and her eyes flickered around the room. "But it still seems like him."

"Yes it does." 

Gema's newest clues were handcrafted to be similar to the ones Beyond Birthday had used. Had the serial killer not been in prison, L would have worried that he was committing the crimes. Regardless of who the killer was, L needed Light Yagami on his side. If he was able to work so well alone, L could only imagine how well the pair of them could work together. He smiled slightly. It had been a long time since he ever met anyone who even approached being his equal. He wondered if Light would be up to the task.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for your comments and kudos. Updates are on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	5. Chapter 5

Whoever had been tailing Light stopped before he could come up with a plan to reveal the man's identity. Unfortunately, that was the least of his concerns. News of Kida's death spread across every major news network. The included details in the reports were sparse. The police were purposefully hiding key details about the case. Light watched the news with a frustrated look.

"We were so close," Sayu said with a sigh. She shot a glance towards the kitchen and whispered, "You figured it out though. At least there's that." 

"That isn't even our biggest issue," Light said. "The police database has not been updated. All information related to the case must be being kept offline." 

"They suspect it's being leaked?" Sayu asked.

"They must," Light said. His frustration seeped into his voice. "How can we investigate now?"

"We have to talk to Dad," Sayu said then faltered in her conviction. "Well, you have to talk to Dad."

"I can't now Sayu," Light said softly. He glanced towards the kitchen and lowered his voice even more. "If they suspect there's a leak, our actions yesterday would put us right at the top of the suspect list. I have access to the police database and learned about the original Wara Ningyo Murders case from it. I could be a suspect." Sayu's eyes widened.

Before they could talk anymore, Soichiro entered the house, door closing quietly behind him. "I'm home." Both Light and Sayu straightened up, moving away from one another on the couch. 

"Welcome home Dad!" Sayu turned and got up on her knees, leaning over the back of the couch to smile at her father. "How was work? You're home early!" 

"Fine," Soichiro said as he loosened his tie. "I hope you and Light have been working hard too." 

"Of course," Light said. He watched his father walk into the kitchen, greeting their mother before sitting at the table. "I'm going on a quick walk. I'll be back before dinner." 

"Me too!" 

With that said, both of the Yagami siblings were out the door. "Why is Dad home early?" Light wondered, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Did they already figure out the next victim?" Sayu shrugged and before Light could say anything else, his phone began to ring. 

"Who is it?" Sayu asked. 

The caller ID was blocked. The Yagami siblings exchanged a concerned look. Light flipped the phone open as an uneasy feeling filled him. "Hello?" He glanced at Sayu out of the corner of his eye as she stretched up to press her ear to the other side of the phone. 

"Light Yagami, correct?" The caller's voice was scrambled. 

A sense of terror rose in Light, but he pressed it down. "Who is this?" 

The voice on the other end chuckled. "I'm not going to disclose that over the phone, you never know who could be listening." Sayu's eyes grew wide in fear. "I want you to meet me at a hotel room nearby." 

Light said nothing. 

"I will send you a text with the information. Don't bother trying to look up the number." The line clicked as the caller hung up. 

Everything had just gotten much more interesting. "Sayu," Light said with a calm tone as the text came through. "I'm going to forward this to you, bring help if you don't hear from me in two hours." 

Light expected his sister to agree, but instead Sayu shook her head. "I have to come too! What if it's Gema? What if you're in danger!" 

"Then we'd both be in danger, Sayu." Light needed to go alone. There were two possibilities of who the caller could be, though Light worried one of them would put him in a very treacherous situation. 

"You'd be safer with backup!" 

There was likely not much Sayu could do against a serial killer. She was small and inexperienced with dealing with criminals. Though Light lacked any kind of formal training as well. "Think of Mom and Dad. What would they do if something happened to both of us?" 

To Light's surprise, tears gathered at the corners of Sayu's eyes. Her face twisted into a grimace. "They would care way more if something happened to you! That's why I have to come with you. I don't think they'd ever forgive me if something happened to their perfect child." 

Light stared at his sister, eyes widening. He never knew she felt that way. How long had she felt like that? Had Light pushed her into his shadow for her entire life? "Sayu," Light said and reached out hesitantly. He laid a hand on her shoulder before saying, "That's not true. I don't want you to feel that way." His sister stared back as she cried and Light could see his own reflection in her eyes. "You need to stay here. It would break Mom and Dad if they lost both of us. It would break them if they only lost you."

"But-"

"If I don't come back in two hours, come save me," Light said as gently as he could. "Okay?" 

With a nod, Sayu wiped away her tears and threw her arms around Light, hugging him close. He almost flinched back. It had been a long time since he hugged his sister. Since starting at To-Oh he had seen her less and less. It was sad to think that the Gema case was the only reason they had been together so much recently. "Be careful!" Light nodded and gave Sayu a brief, tight hug before pushing her away. 

The room number corresponded to one of the nicest suites that Light had ever seen. He hesitantly stepped inside, past the well-dressed older gentleman who answered the door. Sitting almost directly in front of the door in one of the expensive armchairs was a bedraggled looking man. His black hair was unkempt and he crouched in the chair with his bare feet on the cushions. He was not at all what Light was expecting. "Hello," He said. "Welcome." Light flinched slightly as the door closed behind him, but his nerves disappeared as he glanced around the room. Case files were spread across the desks and tables and Light spotted several laptops set up around the room. "Do you know who I am?" 

"On my way here I had two guesses," Light said as he walked over to sit before the other man. "Either you are Gema and invited me here to kill me or you are L." A prideful look spread across Light's face. He smirked as he said, "And considering you haven't killed me and judging by what I see in this room, I think that you are L, the world-famous detective." 

If L was impressed, he did not give it away. He chewed on his thumb as he nodded. "You are correct."

"So, why am I here?" Light asked as he leaned back and crossed his legs and arms. "What do you want from me?" 

"Yes," L said as he picked up his tea cup, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. Why was he so strange? Light wondered if all of the famous detectives were as strange as L. He pursed his lips in mild annoyance. "I want you to investigate the Gema case with us." 

"Sure," Light said. "It would be an honor. I have already been investigating it." The look on L's face suggested that he already knew that. Light glanced away, hiding his embarrassment. He shouldn't brag too much. 

"Perhaps you should bring your sister too," L said, breaking the silence. "I think she's been working hard as well, correct?" A small smirk crossed L's face. "She followed you here." 

"What?" Light asked. He sat up and turned to look towards the door. "How do you know?"

"Watari, let Sayu Yagami in," L said. 

With a nod, Watari opened the door and Sayu almost tumbled through. She quickly regained her footing and brandished a very large kitchen knife at L. "Listen here, I don't know who you are, but you better not hurt my brother!" 

A wave of embarrassment crashed over Light. "Sayu!" He said, quickly standing. "I said that if I didn't come back in two hours-"

"You could have been dead by then," Sayu said, shaking her head. "I couldn't just wait at home and you wouldn't listen to me!" Ignoring Light's quiet protests, Sayu rushed in front of him with her knife. Her hands shook as she demanded again, "Who are you?" 

"Sayu," Light said as he took the knife from her. "That's L." 

With wide eyes, Sayu said, "Oh." Her face blossomed into a bright red color. "Oh my god!" Light rubbed his forehead in frustration as Sayu continued, "I'm really sorry L. It's just that the message you sent to my brother was suspicious and we knew Gema might have seen us at Yotsuba." 

A small smile crossed his face as he looked between the two siblings. "Call me Ryuzaki during this investigation," He said. "Watari, please get the case files for the Yagami siblings." Light tugged at his sister's arm and quickly retook his seat with Sayu sitting next to him. L was not what he expected at all. The detective was quiet, almost monotone. He watched as L took a bite out of a brownie. He apparently had a sweet tooth. "So, you may be wondering why I asked you to come here after I sent all the other detectives home." 

"I was wondering that actually," Light said. "Though I have a guess." 

"What is that?" L asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"My dad doesn't want me to join the investigation team." 

"Correct again Light Yagami," L said. "You're quite good at this." Light smiled at the compliment. Watari placed a briefcase on the table and flipped it open. "So, until I convince him, you will have to work on this discretely." Pointing to the briefcase, L continued, "I have compiled a list of possible suspects. I need the two of you to go through them and rank them in order of most likely to least likely suspects. The rest of us will investigate who the next target may be. All the passwords to whatever databases you need are included in there." 

Sayu picked up the folders and flipped through them. "A lot of these are security guards," She said with a surprised look. "Why are they under suspicion?" 

"Because they are guarding Beyond Birthday," L said. Light noticed for a brief second that distress flashed through L's eyes. "This is no longer a simple copycat case. I have reason to believe that Gema may have been in contact with Beyond Birthday." L chewed on his nails as he looked away and continued, "Whatever may happen next may be very bad if that is the case."

"Worse than what's already happened?" Light asked. 

A chill went down Light's spine as L looked back and said, "Yes." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kudos and comments!


	6. Chapter 6

L entrusted almost fifty suspects to Light and Sayu. It was taking forever to sift through all of them. "Well we can count this guy out," Sayu said. She had taken up her normal spot on Light's bed with a stack of case files and her laptop. Kicking her feet above her, she continued, "This security guard died a few months ago." She placed a sticky note on the file with her findings before handing it to Light to put it in the pile. He placed the case at the very bottom. 

"Why would L give us such a monotonous task?" Light asked as he tapped his finger on the desk in frustration. "I could be helping him with the clues." 

"Maybe he already knows who the next victim is?" Sayu suggested. 

"Maybe he thinks he can convince Dad that it's safe by promising to give me tasks that are beneath me." 

"Wow, don't be so tough and scary big brother," Sayu teased. She stood up and stretched, walking towards the door. "It's almost lunchtime. We should get something to eat." 

"Mom's out grocery shopping right now," Light said. "There's probably not much." 

Humming softly, Sayu shook her head. "That's okay. I'll go buy us something." As Sayu left the door clicked shut behind her. 

Light leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. While it had only been a few days, Light had hoped that L would convince his father more quickly. All of his communications with L had been vague. He texted him occasionally, offering insight on the most likely suspects that he and Sayu had found so far. Yet, L didn't really take much time to respond. He rarely sent more than one or two words back. Light stood up and walked over to the board, staring at it frustration. L hadn't provided any of the clues for the next victim. However, Light noticed a picture of Kida's body and some notes. Kida had been boiled alive and there was a deck full of kings and eights next to his body at the crime scene. Light thought he saw something else about a puppet and chess board, but he and Sayu left the hotel room before he was sure he read everything. 

"Boiled alive?" Light wondered aloud before turning back to the case files. "What kind of human would do that to someone?" He already knew the answer. Whoever Gema was, he was a monster. 

About thirty minutes passed before Sayu returned. Just as Light was about to call her, he heard his door quickly open and shut. "Light," Sayu said and when Light looked up he saw her face was pale. 

"What's wrong?" He asked, standing so quickly that his chair screeched. 

"I-I think someone's been following me," Sayu said, voice barely above a whisper. 

"What?" Light asked, rushing to the window. He looked out, but couldn't see anyone. "For how long?" 

"A few days maybe," Sayu said. "At first, I thought it was my imagination, but then I used the trick you told me to look in shop windows and use the reflection to watch people behind you. I'm sure that someone was following me today at least." As Sayu talked, her eyes grew wide from terror. "Do you think it's Gema?" 

"I don't know." Light placed his hands on Sayu's shoulders and smiled. "But we'll figure it out okay." He glanced away. "Let me just think of a plan." 

"This is dangerous," Naomi said quietly. The rest of the task force could not hear their conversation. "We shouldn't be doing this." 

"It's fine," L said, waving away her concerns as he watched the screen closely, ready to click away if anyone else approached. "Anything to report Raye?" 

"No," Raye said. "It just looks like they're heading out for ice cream." 

The pair of siblings walked ahead in front of Raye, talking to one another. L nodded, pushing his lip with his thumb as he watched. "Yes," He mused quietly. "It's good that they're taking a break." He watched as Light and Sayu boarded a bus. Raye sat behind them, far away enough that L still couldn't hear them, but the camera was focused on them still. "Chief Yagami," L said loudly. Soichiro glanced up. "I must ask again-"

"Please Ryuzaki," Soichiro interrupted, irritation plain on his face. "I don't want my son to be involved."

"Very well," L said under his breath as he took a bite of a cookie and continued watching the feed. He would ask again later. The bus stopped and Sayu got up first, Light paused, stooping down to pick something up. Raye began to walk past him, when Light suddenly stood. 

"You dropped your purse Sayu!" Light called as he smashed right into Raye Penbar. The video shook as Raye stumbled and L winced slightly at the boom from the microphone. "Oh, I'm sorry." Light smiled and bowed. "Please accept my apologies." He then hurried after his sister. Once Raye got off the bus, both Sayu and Light were out of sight. 

"Damn it," Raye muttered. "Where did they go?" Then L heard a quiet rustling. "Oh, Ryuzaki?" 

"Yes, what is it?" L asked as he chewed on his thumb. 

"My ID is gone." 

L sat up straighter, eyes slightly wider. "Really?" L said. His mind whirled as he thought over the previous few minutes. Everything seemed innocent enough at first. Yet, L smiled. Light truly was clever. "I'm afraid I have to deal with something else. Keep an eye on Sayu, I'll check back in later." 

Naomi frowned as L stood and stretched. "What's wrong?"

"You'll see soon enough."  

It took only about ten minutes for Light to arrive at the hotel. The door slammed open, startling all of the detectives. Light strolled in as if he had always belonged there. His expression seemed calm, but L could see the fury in his eyes. "Light?" Soichiro asked. "What are you doing here?" 

Light ignored his father as he approached L. "You suspected me," He snapped angrily and threw Raye Penbar's badge at L's feet. "And you had me followed."

"Yes, I did," L said. 

"Fine," Light said, taking in a deep breath. "I understand that." His eyes narrowed at the detective. "But, you think Sayu is the next victim, don't you?" Light's voice shook as he spoke.

"Yes I do."

"That's why you gave us all those case files rather than the clues." It was clear to L that Light was holding back his anger. "You knew that I would figure it out!" 

"I suspected you would," L said casually as he reached over to grab a cookie. Taking a large bite of it, he continued, "And I knew you likely wouldn't agree to use your sister as bait so I gave you a different task, hoping you wouldn't figure it out."

Rather than replying, Light's anger reached a breaking point. In a flash, he punched L directly in the jaw, knocking him back and toppling his chair. In response, L kicked him in the face, sending him back into the chair Matsuda had been sitting in before he yelped and jumped away. The rest of the detectives all yelled in surprise and scattered as the chair toppled over. Light was back on his feet quickly, rubbing his cheek. 

"Eye for an eye," L said with a hand to his face as well. He grabbed his cookie from the ground and finished it off. 

"I can't believe you!" Light said. "She should be under constant guard not being loosely trailed by an FBI agent! Gema could kill her at any moment!" 

"Raye can protect her without issue," Naomi said, stepping between Light and L with her hands raised. "I would have followed her myself, but I was too recognizable."

Light's anger turned on Naomi, but before he could say anything, Soichiro laid a firm hand on his shoulder and said, "Ryuzaki, what is going on here? Explain the meaning of this immediately!" 

L sighed and returned to his chair, perching on the edge as usual. "I decided to have Light help without your approval, I knew you would give in eventually." Soichiro frowned. "Also, Sayu is the next target." He chewed on his thumb nail as he continued, "The deck full of kings and eights references her surname, Yagami, whose characters mean eight and god. Her first name, Sayu is the same as a popular supposed detox with plain hot water, you can see where the method of Kida's murder comes in there."   

"What?" Soichiro's voice rose and for the first time in the case, he sounded furious. "And you didn't tell me? Or any of us?" 

"My apologies," L said, chewing on his thumb as he purposely avoided Soichiro's eyes. "But I needed to ensure Penbar could follow her." 

"How could you use my daughter as bait? I thought we agreed to not use such drastic tactics!" There was a fury brewing in Soichiro's eyes. He released his son and approached L. "I want her brought here now. She needs to stay under constant protection." 

Several of the others murmured in agreement. "We shouldn't mess around with this," Aizawa said. "She's just a kid." 

The situation crumbled as L struggled to find a way to justify his actions. When L looked to Light, he saw Light's eyes were cold. "Maybe we could at least have a few more officers with her?" Matsuda said. His eyes darted between the other officers and L and Naomi. It was clear that sides were beginning to form in the investigation team. "Then we could all take down Gema together?" 

The tension was thick in the room, but it shattered as Naomi's phone began to ring. It was an alarm call from one of the belts. "Hello?" She answered. "Raye? What's wrong?" Her eyes widened and she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh no." 

"Sayu!" Soichiro said. "Where was she last seen?" Light's eyes widened in horror. "We may still be able to get there in time!"

Naomi flipped her phone shut. "Raye was snuck up on from behind and injected with something, he said he can still barely move." Rushing towards the door, Naomi glanced at the others. "Hurry. She was last seen at a park near here." 

Following Naomi's lead, Soichiro led the detectives out of the room. Light attempted to follow, but Soichiro firmly held him back. "Stay here, Light." His eyes were somewhat glossy as if tears threatened to spill over at any moment.

"But Dad-"

"I will not lose another child today." Soichiro left and the door slammed behind him. 

The room was silent and empty, leaving just Light, L, and Watari. The case had been riddled with mistakes. If Beyond Birthday really was behind everything, L was sure that it was revenge. He could feel him taunting him about how much better he was. A case like that shouldn't stump the great detective L. Casualties were to be expected in some cases, but L had already lost so much. He couldn't afford to lose much more. He turned his eyes to watch Light, who refused to meet his gaze. Instead, he clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly. L wondered if Light planned to punch him again. 

"We have to get her back." Agony filled Light's voice. "I can't lose my sister. I shouldn't have left her side." 

L wondered if Sayu was already dead. "It may be too late already." 

"I don't care." Light whirled around and walked over to the computer. "I turned the GPS on her phone on, maybe it's still tracking." 

L knew that Gema ditched Sayu's phone before taking her. Light cursed and confirmed his suspicions. "Light-"

"Maybe Gema didn't notice her bracelet," Light said quietly. "We got it when we found out she was being followed. It also has GPS and-" Light broke off. "Damn it! She left it at home!" Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair. L watched him with a curious look. From his research, it seemed unlike Light to break down so much. Perhaps he had never been under so much stress?

Agonizing minutes ticked by as L sat perched in his chair while Light paced the room. He jumped as L's phone rang. "Hello? Ah, Naomi, what have you found?" 

"Sayu Yagami's purse," Naomi said quietly. "There's a message in it, written in typical serial killer cut out letters of course." She snorted in annoyance and then read, " 'L, ready for the true game to begin? I have missed our battles. You may have thought you finally caught me, but you're wrong. Sayu Yagami is at the following address.' The address is encrypted, should I read-"

"Yes," L said, snatching up a pen. He quickly wrote it down and tossed the paper to Light. "Solve that, quickly." Light's eyes scanned over the paper as he grabbed a pad of paper and set to work, mumbling under his breath as he worked. "What else?" 

"It's signed, 'Your dear successor, Beyond Birthday.' "

A chill went down L's spine. It really was him. L had no idea how he was doing it. He had Watari check many times to ensure that Beyond was still locked up. He had been in solitary confinement for years. How was he still pulling the strings? 

"Ryuzaki?" 

"Thank you, Naomi." L hung up and turned to Light. 

"I calculated the coincidence index," Light said quietly. "It's an affine cipher. I bet the last seven letters are the zip code. I doubt they've gone out of Tokyo so it must start with 100. Give me a little bit and I'll have it." L remained quiet and watched as Light worked, hoping he could solve it quickly. Sayu's life likely depended on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're a little less than halfway through and in my opinion the bulk of the plot begins here. Thanks for all your comments and kudos!


	7. Chapter 7

The cipher lead L and Light to an old warehouse. By the looks of it, no one had been there in ages. Light hurried towards the door, but L caught the edge of his shirt and tugged. "Be careful," L said. "If this is truly Beyond Birthday, be prepared for anything." Light nodded and pulled open the door. It creaked and revealed a deep darkness. The smell of something like charcoal bled out from within.

"Sayu?" Light called, stepping forward. L followed behind, eyes darting around. 

"Li-Light?" The shaky reply was definitely Sayu's voice. Light's heart leapt into his throat. She was alive. 

"Sayu!" 

Light knew it was foolish to rush forward in the darkness and as he did he tripped a wire. Lights flashed on, revealing Sayu. She sat in a chair in the center of the room with a white blind fold around her eyes. Her hair was tied in twin braids with white ribbons and she was dressed in a doll like dark blue dress with white ribbons decorating it. Sitting before her was a table with a chess board. Light's eyes traced the set up to the bomb tucked under Sayu's chair. The timer clicked away, showing that only thirty minutes remained until it would explode.

"How intricate," L said with a mildly shocked expression. Both him and Light approached carefully. "Sayu? Are you alright?" Sitting in Sayu's lap was a wara ningyo doll.

"Wa-Wait," Sayu said, sniffing. Her face was tear stained. "I have to play this." She gently squeezed the doll. 

"Hello L," A voice said with a quiet chuckle. "About time we play this game? Hm?" Light looked to the detective, who was frozen in place. "It's been too, too long. Let's see who's the better detective right here in this forsaken city. I doubt it will be you, my fabled greatest detective. Play my game, will you?" The tape ended. 

"Ryuzaki?" Light said.

The terror on L's face was apparent. "How?" He said quietly. "How is he doing this?" 

"Was that Beyond Birthday's voice?" 

L nodded. He walked over to the chess board and stared, thumb smoothing across his lips. "We need to play the game exactly as it was in Kida's home." It was clear L would rather focus on other matters before discussing the serial killer. "Black or white?" 

"I'd rather not lose," Light said. "So, I'll be black." 

"We need to end this in a pawnless ending." L pulled out the photograph of Kida's chessboard. "Like this. The board likely has been programmed with multiple possible plays. There's pressure plates underneath each square so a single wrong move with set the bomb off." 

"Okay." 

"Pl-Please hurry," Sayu whimpered from her chair. As she moved, Light noticed her hands were tied down with wire connected to the bomb. If she struggled too much or if they cut them, he bet the bomb would explode. 

"Just wait a little longer," Light said quietly. "L and I will get you out of here." Nodding, Sayu stilled in the chair, though her breathing was still rapid. 

The pieces moved across the board, black after white as piece after piece disappeared. The pair played effortlessly, matching each other's moves as if they were programmed to. L's eyes remained locked to the board. Light noticed he dared not look at Sayu and wondered if the detective felt guilty. They were only in that situation because L wouldn't take responsibility and protect her. In an attempt to stay calm, Light smothered his anger. He could punch L again later. It only took about ten minutes for the game to finish in a perfect imitation of the clue. 

Light took in a breath of relief as he moved his king. "Checkmate." A mechanical click sounded and Light glanced down to see that the bomb was deactivated as the timer stopped. 

"Well done, well done," Another recording played followed hollow clapping. "Let's meet again at our next match." 

Rushing to Sayu's side, Light struggled with the wires until L handed him a small pocket knife. "Thanks." Light quickly cut his sister free, but it was L who picked her up. 

"Hurry," L said as he began to walk off much faster than Light had ever seen him move. Something had deeply disturbed him. Sayu pulled off her blindfold, revealing eyes bloodshot from crying. "We don't know if Gema is still around." 

Light followed L's quick footsteps back to the car where Watari was waiting. L set Sayu down in the backseat and climbed in next to her, forcing Light into the front passenger seat. As Watari began to pull away, Light let out a horrified breath. "Sayu, I'm so sorry." He turned to see L undoing the ribbons on Sayu's dress. "L, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going to pull this down okay?" L asked in a shockingly gentle tone. Sayu's eyes were full of tears but she nodded, closing her eyes tightly. L gently pushed the sleeves off of Sayu's shoulders and the dress fell down onto the seat, leaving Sayu in her underwear. Light had to hold back a horrified gasp. Roman numerals were burned into Sayu's skin, stretching across her torso and snaking down onto her upper arms. L gently had her turn and Light saw even her back had the marks. "You smelt like you had been burned. Gema must have used a wood burning set." The torture explained the smell of charcoal.  

Light grasped the arm of seat until his knuckles turned white. He swore to kill whoever did such a horrible thing to his sister. As they came to a stop, Watari slipped off his suit jacket and passed it to L, who wrapped it around Sayu's shoulders and guided her arms into the sleeves. He pulled the dress away completely and tossed it out of sight into the back of the car.

"We need to take her to a hospital," Light said. "Her wounds need to be tended to." 

"Watari will tend to them," L said. "We cannot let the media catch wind of this." 

"You don't want them to hear about your failure?" It was a low blow and Light knew it. L did not meet Light's eyes as he stared out the window. 

Sayu slowly shook her head. "I don't want to go to the hospital." She was shaking and Light wasn't sure if it was because she was cold or scared. "They'll think I'm a freak." 

"Sayu, it's alright." Light reached his hand back and took his sister's hand, squeezing gently. "They'll heal." 

"They'll scar." Her voice was mournful. "I'll have these scars for the rest of my life."

Casting his eyes aside, Light knew he couldn't lie about that. No one would ever be able to look at Sayu's skin again without wondering what happened. She wouldn't be able to wear a swimsuit or even most dresses without drawing attention to herself. While Gema may have left Sayu with her life, he took away a precious part of her identity. Now, Sayu had become another one of the clues in the game. L looked deep in thought, though he revealed nothing. They rode back to the hotel in silence, waiting as Watari parked around the back so they could use the service elevator to get back into the suite. 

By the time they arrived back, the rest of the investigation team had returned. Soichiro rushed to embrace his daughter with tears in his eyes. "I'm so happy you're alright." Between sobs, Sayu muttered apologies, which Soichiro insisted were unnecessary. 

"This is all my fault," She whispered over and over. Soichiro insisted it was not and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry Dad. I'm so sorry!" 

Light was not surprised when L sent everyone but the Yagamis home. Sayu sat on a stool in the room, shivering slightly as Watari quickly photographed each symbol on her skin. The majority of them were simple roman numerals, but Light noticed the roman numeral six had a heart surrounding it and the roman numeral eleven centered on an old-fashioned scale. Once finished documenting the new clues, Watari started tending to the burns, cleaning them as gently as possible. L did not come too close. He stayed on the far end of the room, sitting in his usual manner and chewing on his thumb as he stared off into space. Light hoped he felt guilty. Once Sayu's wounds were cleaned Watari took her to one of the bedrooms and set her up on an IV fluid drip and gave her an injection of antibiotics. 

"She should stay here until her burns are healed," Watari said, to which Soichiro agreed. He walked over and kissed Sayu on the head. 

"I'll stay with her," Light said. "You should go home and be with mom." Soichiro's eyes were dull. Somehow his greying hair looked even more white in that moment. 

"I wish you two had never gotten involved in this. This is far too dangerous." Light flinched at the disappointment in his father's voice. "I'll bring clothes for you both tomorrow." He hugged Light tight before departing the room. Turning back to Sayu, Light watched as she carefully undid the braids in her hair. 

"I'm sorry Light," Sayu said. The ribbons fluttered to the floor. "Dad's right. I should have never gotten involved." Light shook his head and sat down on the adjacent bed.

"You've helped a lot," He said with a small smile. "Maybe you can join the police force too." 

Sayu snickered and shook her head. "No way, I'm not nearly good enough to be a detective." Though she had a contemplative look on her face. She ran her hand through her hair, smoothing out the tangles. Before Light could respond, a quiet knock sounded at the door. He glanced over and watched L peek his head in. 

"I brought you cake," L said, offering a huge slice of cake as he practically tip-toed inside. He passed the plate to Sayu, who had a hint of a smile on her face. "From your case file and what I saw while Raye Penbar tailed you, I've figured out that you like strawberry the best right?" 

"That's a bit creepy," Sayu said. "But this is still wonderful." The hint of a smile blossomed into a huge grin as Sayu took a bite. "Oh, this is so good!"

L sat on the bed with Light, though far away from him. He crouched in his usual position with a finger to his lips. "Strawberry is my favorite as well, though I usually remove the actual fruits. They're not as good." Rubbing one foot over the other, L glanced down and then back up, meeting Sayu's gaze with a sad expression. "I am truly sorry, Sayu Yagami. I thought Penbar would be able to protect you. All this pain and suffering, I'm the one who has caused it." L lowered his eyes again. "I'm sure Beyond Birthday and Gema formulated this plan knowing that I tend to have a slight disregard for other's safety in favor of the case."

"That's putting it lightly," Light said under his breath. Between chews, Sayu paused and considered L's words. 

"I forgive you," Sayu said after barely any thought. Light scoffed and she sent him a reproachful look. "After all, you and Light risked your lives to come save me." Her smile was not as bright, but she still forced it to her lips. "Now you just need to catch Gema? I'm sure you can do that right?" Setting her fork down, Sayu extended her pinky to L. "I made a promise with my brother to solve this case, now I want to make it with you too, Ryuzaki. We can all work together to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else!" Light wondered how she could be so brave. 

L looked from her outstretched pinky to Light before hesitantly reaching out and curling his pinky around Sayu's. "I will solve it," He promised. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for your kudos and comments.


	8. Chapter 8

The numbers meant nothing. The investigation team tried again and again to decipher them. First, they tried to read them in a loop around Sayu's body, from right to left then from left to right. There was no cipher that made any sense of them. L wondered if they might have been addresses or social security numbers. Again, no combination made any sense. Soon the hotel room was covered in boards and papers with thousands of different rearrangements of the total of twenty-two different numbers. Their sporadic placement seemed to have no indication as to what they were either. Sayu was not keen to talk about them, so the investigation team did not ask. 

L still felt as if he was walking on eggshells around Sayu and Light. He feared hurting them any more than he already had. Though unlike her brother, Sayu's forgiveness was quick. "Oh, you're awake this early Ryuzaki?" Sayu walked out of her and Light's shared bedroom with a small smile. She wore a loose t-shirt and L could see the bandages around her torso if she shifted. When the burns began to peel, Watari was forced to cover them all to prevent infection. L imagined that it must have been quite painful. 

 "I don't sleep very much," L said, before turning back to his work. He heard Sayu rustling around in the kitchen and glanced as the teenager returned with a donut in her mouth and one in her outstretched hand. L took it hesitantly. "Thank you." 

"I love how much sweets are around," Sayu said with a smile. "Mom doesn't like to keep a lot of sweets in the house since they're so unhealthy." She paced the room, walking over to peer out one of the windows. L watched as she walked over to the other one and then back again. It was similar to how a bored house cat would stroll around their home. It occurred to L that Sayu hadn't left the hotel room in over a week since they rescued her from Gema. 

"Are you bored?" L asked. 

"Yes," Sayu said, whirling around. "But Light said I still need to stay inside and rest, but I want to go out. It's so suffocating in here!" After raising her voice, Sayu clamped her hands over her mouth and shot a tense look towards the closed bedroom door.

L turned back to his computer. "You should listen to your older brother." 

"Don't you get bored staying locked up all the time?" 

"I'm not bored if I'm working on a case." 

"It's not going anywhere," Sayu said. There seemed to be a hint of frustration in her voice. "We could go take a short walk. I'm sure Light won't get mad if I'm with you!" 

L turned and stared at Sayu. Had she forgotten that Light was still furious with him? If he found out that L took his sister out when he wanted her to still be resting, L doubted that he would feel comforted. In the past several days, Light had at least begun looking L in the eyes again. Spending more time with Light only made his anger hurt L worse as he saw how brilliant he was. He was someone that L thought he might be able to call a true equal, someone he wanted as a friend. Sometimes L found himself wanting even more than that. When he was deep in thought he would often find himself staring at Light. The younger man was beautiful and L noticed it. Above everything else though, L wanted to share his time with Light. Therefore, L wasn't about to break any trust he may have gained. 

"No." 

When L turned back, Sayu spun his chair back around to face her. "Please?" Her eyes were bright and innocent, much like many of the Wammy's kids back home. While L never met them in person, he had seen them plenty of times. L thought in particular about Linda, who bravely asked L what he feared. "Just for a little bit! We could go walk around in the park nearby." 

L knew he would regret it, but he stood and walked over to the door putting on his shoes. "Fine," He said. "But my identity is carefully guarded and I really shouldn't spend too much time out in public." 

"Okay!" 

The park was quiet. Few people visited parks that early in the morning since they were all either at work or still asleep. L followed as she hurried over to the duck pond and bought some food from the little dispenser. The ducks walked right up to eat out of the palm of her hand. L's phone buzzed and he glanced down to see a text from Watari, "Light is awake. He's not very happy with you." 

L sighed. 

His phone buzzed again. "Chief Yagami and the others just arrived. He said to keep Sayu out as long as she wants." 

L weighed whether or not it would be best to head back, but decided against it. There wasn't much more he could do to make Light angrier with him. Sayu walked back over to him with the ducks following her and quacking. "Look how friendly they are." 

"They're habituated," L said. He leaned down to look at one of the ducks, who ran away as he tried to pet it. "They're not truly pets." Sayu gave the ducks a bit more food before dusting off her hands. 

"There's a really cute café nearby," Sayu said. "It's open this early, let's go there!" Before L could protest, Sayu grabbed his wrist and tugged him along.   

After an hour of lurking around the café, it began clear to L that Sayu did not want to go back. She stared out the window, picking at the third bagel she had ordered. "You're done with the antibiotics tomorrow," L said, leaning his head on his knees. "I'm sure you could tend to the bandages yourself."

"How did you know what I was thinking about?" Sayu asked. Her face was no longer cheerful. "It's not that I dislike being there, it's just painful." 

"To think about what happened to you?" 

Nodding Sayu fidgeted in her seat. "I want to help with the investigation. I try so hard to remember anything that could help, but I just can't." She hugged herself tight, lowering her eyes to stare down at the table. "I'm sorry." 

"It's not up to you to find Gema," L said. "That burden is entirely on me, so don't worry about it." Even as he said that, guilt overwhelmed L. He wished he didn't have to deal with everyone so directly. It hurt knowing how badly he had messed up.

"I'm sorry Light's still mad," Sayu said. She looked up and met L's confused gaze. "I've noticed how nervous you seem about upsetting him any further. You two are kind of alike. I bet you'd get along." 

L had nothing to say to that. He enjoyed Light's company immensely and it felt selfish to so badly want his forgiveness. Yet, ever since L first met Light, he was drawn to him. It was not something he wanted to think too much about. "We should go back." Sayu nodded, following L's lead as he walked out of the café. Sayu was quiet on the walk back, but as they passed by one of the just opened department stores she paused. 

"Misa Misa's dress collection is in stores!" Sayu's eyes lit up in excitement. "Wow! They're all so pretty!" The window display was full of expensive dresses, ranging from professional to extravagant. Some of them were gothic while others were cute and covered in ribbons. "Since she's a newer model, this is the first time she's designed clothes of her own and they're all so beautiful!" Sayu's smile faltered. "Though I couldn't really wear some of these. She touched the top of her chest, where her shirt hung loose. The largest burn was there. The one with the heart around it. "They're not high enough to cover it." 

"You could always cover it up with makeup," L said. Sayu considered the notion. Not sure if it was out of guilt or true kindness, L then asked, "Do you want these?" A huge smile spread across Sayu's face.

It was eleven. Light stared at the clock with an irritated look. L and Sayu had been gone for three hours. What in the world were they doing? Matsuda must have noticed his foul mood since the detective was careful to approach. "Uh, Light? I rearranged the numbers again. Does this look like anything to you?" 

"No," Light said after a quick glance at the paper. "I already tried that." He gestured sharply to one of the boards. Matsuda awkwardly laughed and quickly backed away. Light spun his pen around as he searched through the records of their top suspects. All of them had alibis for every murder, with most of their alibis being the fact that they lived in the United States and hadn't left the country for years. The only retired guard who lived in Japan volunteered regularly at an animal shelter and had been there for each incident. Light was certain that they must have been missing something. 

The door opened and Light's eyes darted over to it. Sayu skipped in, carrying six shopping bags, all filled to the brim. L followed her, avoiding everyone's curious stares as he carried another six shopping bags. "What is all of that?" Light asked. 

"Misa Misa's dress collection!" Sayu said, eyes bright with excitement. "Well, not all of it, but most of them!" 

"Wow!" Matsuda said, eyeing the bags as Sayu dragged all of them to her room. "That must have been expensive!" Soichiro looked very pale. It was as if he was totaling up each dress in his head. "Did you use your dad's credit card?" 

"No, Ryuzaki bought them!" 

All eyes turned to L, who was trying very hard to look unnoticeable in the corner. He coughed and did not say anything. Light burst into laughter. He doubled over, trying hard to keep from crying. With his hand over his mouth as he laughed, he said, "I can't believe she coerced you into buying all that!" 

"She didn't coerce me," L said, still looking very embarrassed. "I offered." 

The normally quiet Watari took that chance to chime in. "Ryuzaki is easily manipulated by children," He said with a fond smile.

Light could have sworn he saw a humiliated blush spread across L's face. The detective quickly hurried to his computer and crouched in his normal position. "We should all get back to work." 

The detectives continued to quietly talk amongst themselves, while Matsuda and Sayu loudly discussed Misa. Light should have guessed Matsuda was a fan as well. He turned his eyes to L, who typed diligently, searching for something. Light felt a new respect for the detective. He was human after all and had been trying his hardest to repent for his failures in the case. Light wondered if he had been too hard on him before. L raised his eyes and meet Light's gaze. "Thank you," Light said with a small smile. 

L stared at him with a blank expression, before smiling a tiny bit back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Updates are on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	9. Chapter 9

As another week passed the investigation team by, Light noticed a slight change. He found himself working closer to L at the detective's side all day long. The pair of them did the most work, narrowing down yet another list of possible suspects. It was natural for them to gravitate towards one another, Light decided.

"Ryuzaki," Light said quietly as they worked. "We should start checking records of doctors and nurses in the area. The toxicology report from the victims, Sayu, and Penbar show they were all injected with succinylcholine, though Sayu and Penbar were injected with almost untraceable doses so they wouldn't die." Turning his laptop, Light continued, "It's widely used in surgery and would be easily accessible in a hospital. The way Gema used it with Sayu and Penbar also suggests that he knew what he was doing. We're running out of suspects and this may lead us to them." 

"Good idea," L said, with his thumb pressed to his lips. He reached out to point at the screen. "Prioritize those who may have any connections to the police or ways of finding details of the original BB cases." As he leaned over, Light realized just how close they were to one another. 

"Any idea on the roman numerals?" Light asked. L was still leaned over quite close. 

"No, not really," L said with a sigh. "It would help if they were in some sort of order." Light's face felt a little hotter. They probably needed to turn on the air conditioning in the room. 

"Ryuzaki!" Matsuda called. "I think I've got it this time."

"Probably not," L muttered under his breath, causing Light to snicker quietly. They exchanged smiles before L pulled away to talk to Matsuda.

After a while, Light began to notice how late L stayed up. He wondered if the detective slept at all. Light found himself unable to sleep one night. His mind was heavy with the failure of finding any possible suspects. He had already combed through four hospitals and none of the nurses or doctors seemed suspicious. Unable to sleep, Light decided to go on a walk. He got up quietly and headed into the living room, surprised to see L still up and working. 

"Ryuzaki, it's three in the morning."

"So it is," L said quietly. He stared at the screen with fierce concentration, chewing on his nails as he worked. 

"Have you slept at all?" Light asked. 

"Of course," L said. 

"Recently?" 

L turned to Light with a sly smile. "Hm, you caught that lie? Perhaps you should have phrased your question better." With a frustrated sigh, Light closed L's laptop screen. 

"Go to bed." His voice was firm.

"Why are you up this late?" L asked, turning in his chair to face Light. He picked up his cup of tea and sipped it, holding it in a strange manner as always. "Can you not sleep?" 

Light faltered in his answer. "You were keeping me up." 

"Oh, but you've been able to sleep every other night just fine?" 

Light sighed and ran a hand through his hair, walking over to one of the other chairs. He sat down, crossing his arms and legs in a defiant posture. "Fine, you caught me." 

"So why are you actually up Light?" L said. 

It was strange hearing his name on L's lips. Somehow it felt intimate. Light swallowed and considered his answer. "Because this case is going nowhere and has been going nowhere for weeks." 

"That is why I'm up." L stood and walked over to one of the cabinets. He opened it and pulled out a chess board. "Maybe we should both get our minds of off the case. Then we can go to sleep." Turning to glance over at Light, L grinned. "I've never been beaten at chess in a real, non-staged game." 

"Oh really?" Light turned the chair he was sitting in to face the coffee table. L sat across from him. "Neither have I." 

Only moonlight lit up the table as the pair played. Each move was in quick succession and Light found himself in awe of L's quick, strategic plays. He had never met someone as fast as him. "I'm impressed Light," L said. "You're quite good at this." L had his thumb pressed to his lips and in his brow furrowed in concentration. The moonlight gave him a somewhat ghostly appearance. Light wasn't sure if it was beautiful or eerie. 

"So are you," Light said. "But what else should I expect from the famed detective L?" 

"Ryuzaki," L corrected immediately. 

"No one else is around," Light said. "L." Two could play at the intimate name calling game. L raised his eyes to look at Light, who stared back defiantly. 

"Light," L said softly. "You are being childish." 

"Am I, L?" 

The corner of L's mouth twitched into a small smile. "However, I am childish as well Light Yagami." 

"How unfair," Light said. "You don't have a surname." He relaxed back in the chair, moving his king forward in a threatening manner, taking one of L's pawns. There were few pieces left on the board.

"I do, you just don't know it." L's smile grew much larger. "Maybe I'll tell you if you win."

"Okay," Light said. "But what if you win, what do you want?" 

L was about to respond, but he glanced away, seemingly embarrassed. Light's face flushed slightly. What was he going to say? "Perhaps you could keep me company while I work, since you're up anyway." It was not what he was originally going to say. Anyone would have seen through L's lie. Despite that, Light accepted his terms. 

The game began to quickly draw to a close. Light saw that he was going to lose three moves before it happened. Feeling stubborn, he tried to win anyway. "I will learn your name someday L." 

"Not tonight," L said as he made his final move. "Checkmate." 

At least Light was fully awake. He watched as L got up and walked back over to his chair at the desk, popping the laptop screen back up. Light stood and followed him, leaning over with one hand on L's shoulder. "You're watching prison footage?" 

"Beyond Birthday has been in prison for three years," L said quietly. "In that time, he must have succeeded in developing a plan and passing it outside. He has been in solitary confinement that whole time, only interacting with prison guards. One of them must have slipped the information out even if they are not Gema."

"How much footage have you watched?" 

"Three months." 

It would take forever for L to get through all of the footage on his own. "I could help." Light realized he was leaning so far that his head was nearly pressed against L's. He stared at the screen, not meeting L's intense gaze that was turned towards him. It was the first time Light had seen Beyond Birthday. He shared no physical similarities with L. All of Beyond's body had been severely burned. The scars covered every inch of his body, even preventing proper growth of his black hair. However, there was a resemblance that Light saw immediately. "He sits like you." 

"He was obsessed with becoming me," L said quietly. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. Light stood and moved to the chair beside L, who stared up at the ceiling. "L is a title. I am the first one to hold it, but of course there needs to be successors. There will be others after me. Beyond was supposed to be a possible successor, though his obsession was unsettling." L rubbed his thumb and index finger together as he spoke. "The others weren't like that. They understood that becoming L was not the same as becoming me." The distress was clear in L's eyes. "He also claimed he could see when people would die. He was mad from the beginning. He claimed he had shinigami eyes." 

Light felt a chill down his spine. L looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped. He looked over at Light, gauging his reaction to the story. "L," Light said before reaching out and laying his hand over L's. "You don't have to talk about it anymore tonight." L's eyes flickered from Light's and then to his hand, before L flipped his hand over and gently squeezed Light's hand. 

"It's just a long and tragic story." L pulled away and began to watching the footage again, eating a cookie as he did so. 

L knew that he was a selfish person. His selfishness radiated from all of his habits, from sitting the exact way he wanted to eating as much sweets as he wanted. Now, it was clear in the way he let himself stare at Light from across the room or the way he touched Light's shoulder to get his attention even if he could have just said his name. Though it was also selfish of him to repeat Light's name over and over, wanting to call him over. It was selfish to even consider asking for a kiss if he won that game of chess. 

"Ryuzaki?" Light said, breaking L out of his thoughts. "You're staring again." While Light didn't look annoyed, L quickly turned his eyes away and scolded himself. "I really don't think you're getting enough sleep." 

"I slept last night," L said. "For a whole hour." 

"Uh huh." 

L desperately wanted to change the subject. "You were quite good at tennis, weren't you? The Japanese junior champion two years in a row." 

"You learned that when you were investigating me, huh?" 

While Light looked slightly annoyed, L hoped that he could ease the tension and continued, "I was the British junior champion." That information perked Light's interest. 

"Let's play a game," Light said quickly. "If I win, tell me your name." L wondered where Light's newfound obsession with finding out his identity came from. "It would be a good break." 

"Alright," L said. He stood up quickly and headed toward the door. "Light and I are taking a break, please feel free to do so as well." 

Soichiro raised his eyes in a curious look. Sayu sat beside her father, working on her homework. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, can I come too?" 

"You can referee, we're going to play a tennis match." Light sounded smug, as if he was certain he could beat L. Sayu leapt to her feet and hurried after them. 

In order to beat Light, L figured he just had to get him riled up. Annoying him was easy enough, so when L served he opted for a cheap shot. A smirk tugged at his lips as Light hurried to hit it and missed. "Ryuzaki!" 

"Yes?" L asked. "Was it too quick for you?" 

Light's flush began to flush red in annoyance. "Try that again," He said with a menacing look. 

"Okay." L repeated the successful serve, aiming for the same corner. Light had started to move to the opposite corner and rushed quickly back. "Did you think I'd switch? Too bad."

"30-love! Ryuzaki's winning!" Sayu called. "Are you playing best two out of three?" 

"Yes," Light snapped. 

Third time was the charm as Light managed to hit the ball. They continued back and forth for a while until L missed the ball. 

"30-15!" Sayu's cheerful report ran out across the court. 

Several of the hotel's patrons watched as Light and L played. The length the ball was in play stretched out and soon they were even. L managed to get the ball past Light to win the first game, but Light responded by winning the second. As the third game began both of them were exhausted. L rolled the ball in his hand, looking for the best place to hit it. Light had quickly caught onto the cheap shots and managed to hit them back each time. 

"I think you're going to lose Ryuzaki!" Light said with a cheeky grin.

"When I win," L said. "I want you to go get me the most expensive cake from the most expensive café you can find." Light laughed and L felt somewhat light headed. It was such a cheerful sound. 

"Whatever you say." 

As L was about to toss the ball up into the air, he heard a commotion. Turning slightly, he saw Matsuda shove through the crowd of people that gathered to watch them. Panting, the young detective leaned over, hands on his knees. "Light! Ryuzaki! There's been uh a new development!" His face was pale and his eyes were wide in fear. 

L felt his blood go cold. He dropped the ball and racquet and hurried towards the stairs. The clatter of Light's racquet sounded as well as they both hurried after Matsuda, back up to the hotel room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kudos and comments! Updates are on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	10. Chapter 10

The warehouse had two huge trees drawn in blood on the floor. One looked like an apple tree while the other was covered in trefoils. As they entered, Light realized that it was the same warehouse Sayu had been found in. The trees were not the most disturbing feature. Lying next to both trees were the naked bodies of Naomi Misora and Raye Penbar. Light looked over to L, who hid his grief well. After Sayu's capture, L relieved the FBI officers of their duties. Only Naomi and Raye stayed. They had gone out to dinner the night before and Light thought they just hadn't returned in the morning because they had slept in. "What is this?" L said. While his expression was controlled, Light could hear the pain in his voice. "What is the point of this?" 

"Is this supposed to be a threat?" Soichiro asked. He sighed and pressed his face into the palm of his hand. "They were both so young." 

Light couldn't shake the fact that the scene looked so familiar. He remained quiet at the crime scene, too engrossed in trying to remember where he had seen such a similar image. The other members of the team paced around the bodies, taking notes and pictures. 

"None of us are safe," Aizawa said. His voice was bitter. "We're all caught in this grudge match." 

"You're still free to leave the investigation," L said. "I won't stop you." He turned to leave, lowering his head so that his hair covered his eyes. "This is between me and Beyond Birthday." 

Light hurried after him out of the warehouse, reaching out to catch his hand. "L, this isn't your fault." At first, he thought L would pull away, but instead the detective tightened his hand around Light's.

"It is," L said. "I should have pushed to have Beyond executed." He squeezed Light's hand and turned to face him. Before he could say anything else, Light pulled him into a hug. At first, L stiffened in surprise. He leaned his head down against Light's shoulder. "I've failed everyone in this investigation." 

"You haven't," Light said quietly. When L did not hug him back, he pulled away and held him at his shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. "We haven't lost." L looked at him and began to say something, but paused. He glanced over Light's shoulder and pulled away to go speak to the investigation team.

Once the evidence was collected and they are returned back to the hotel rooms, L didn't say anything else. He remained quiet for the rest of the evening, working diligently on his computer. Silence filled the room, only broken by the tapping of laptop keys. As Light stared at the photo from the crime scene he realized why it looked so familiar. 

"Sayu! Do you still have those cards in your purse?" 

"What cards?" Sayu asked, her face twisted in confusion. 

"Those occult cards!" 

"Oh!" Sayu's eyes widened in realization. She grabbed the Tarot cards and opened them, flipping through until she found one. "Light, do you think these are the symbols?" She turned the card around, revealing a scene very similar to the crime scene. The card was called the "The Lovers" and was labeled number six. Sayu gently tugged her t-shirt down, revealing the heart and the roman numeral for six. 

"That's it." L's eyes were wide. "The numerals respond to each tarot card." 

"And each tarot card represents a victim," Light said. "Or in this case, victims."

Sayu gulped, her eyes wide. "I know that Gema burned this one first," She said, touching the heart and six numeral on her chest. "But I don't know if I can remember the exact order of the rest. I'll try." Her voice was wavering, but her determination shone in her eyes. "I don't want anyone else to die." She smiled sadly at the deck in her hands. "Naomi said she'd teach me capoeira once I was a little better." 

A solemn silence fell over the room as everyone set back to work. Light watched as his sister looked over the pictures and matched the tarot cards to each spot before putting them in order. She flipped the cards around and sighed. It was clear she couldn't remember. Before Light could say anything, L hopped onto the couch next to her, sitting in his usual position. "Don't worry too much about the order," L said. "I doubt they will follow it too closely. What matters most is the first and last cards." 

"Well, the last one is this," Sayu said, pointing at the picture of the burn on her back. It was the eleven set between the scales. She handed L the corresponding card. 

"Justice," L said. "How very like him to threaten to kill me last." 

"I think this was the second one, but it might have been this one." Sayu handed L two more cards: the Fool and the Hanged Man. 

"Good work Sayu." L gently tapped Sayu on the nose and then ruffled her hair before taking the cards with him back to his desk. "You deserve more cake." 

While Sayu smiled, Light lightly teased her, "Work too hard and you'll get fat." 

"Light!" 

"The brain burns up the most calories," L said from his desk as he ate a handful of candy. 

"Oh, that's how you stay so thin." 

L's reply was a small, sly smile. 

After watching a year of footage, one thing became clear. The American guards were idiots. "They gave him crossword puzzles," L said, biting his thumb in frustration. "He used those to communicate with one of them I'm sure of it!" 

"But they all give him the puzzles," Light said quietly. "That seems to be the extent of their interaction." He paused his own video and stretched. "We should go to bed L, it's two in the morning." 

"Not yet." L didn't want to sleep until he figured out exactly how Beyond Birthday was killing his victims. He needed to find Gema. 

"L." Light's hand was gentle on his shoulder. "Please, you need rest." 

"Not yet." 

With a groan of frustration, Light stood and walked off. He returned in a few moments with a cup of tea. "At least have something to drink then. Goodnight, I hope you don't die from your own stubbornness." L felt somewhat guilty as he watched Light stalk off. He turned to the tea and took a few large sips. It was lukewarm. L figured he should mock Light in the morning. He continued watching the footage. One thing that relieved L was how Beyond Birthday dropped his impersonation more and more the longer the prison stay went on. There was no point in acting if no one was watching. L yawned and rubbed his eyes, pausing the video. 

"Maybe I'm more tired than I thought." He leaned back in the chair, struggling to keep awake and finished off the tea. 

Sunlight lit up the bedroom. L raised his head, blinking sleepily as he realized he was in his bedroom. How did he get there? L sat up slowly and glanced around. Did he go to bed and not remember? Turning to look at the alarm clock, L was startled to see that it was almost eleven in the morning. He pieced it together immediately and despite himself, smiled slightly. 

When L walked into the living room, Sayu greeted him first. "Light said you were sleeping in," She said, holding out a paper cup. "I went to the café and got some hot chocolate for you Ryuzaki." 

"It's not drugged is it?" L asked, shooting an annoyed glance at Light, who kept a straight face. 

"Drugged?"

"It's nothing," L said as he took a sip of the hot chocolate. He strolled over to sit in the chair next to Light. "Good morning Light." 

"Good morning Ryuzaki," Light said with a cheery smile. "You slept really well." 

"I did," L said. "Almost too well, don't you think?" 

"Well, you've been working really hard." Light kept up the act, though L noticed him glance towards Watari. "You should get a good night's rest more often." 

It had been a long time since Watari successfully slipped sleeping medication into L's tea. Apparently, he trusted Light enough to not do the same thing. He wondered if Light planned it with Watari as he sipped his non-poisoned hot chocolate. Even though he was annoyed at Light, it was also touching. Light's actions indicated how much he cared. L figured he was also the one to carry him into the bedroom. "Maybe I should thank you," L said quietly. "But don't do it again." 

"Do what?" 

"Don't play innocent Light Yagami." 

With a sigh, Light said under his breath, "You'll get sick if you don't sleep more." He reached out and laid his hand on L's. "Please promise me to take better care of yourself." L's eyes flashed from his hand back to Light's eyes. His heart seemed to thunder in his chest at the words. "Ryuzaki?" 

"I'll try," L said quietly. "But it will be hard during this case." As he turned away, he caught a glance of Watari's pleased smile. "We need to figure out who the Fool and the Hanged Man are." 

"Matusda could be the Fool," Aizawa said in a teasing tone. 

"Hey!" 

"I wonder if Gema will continue targeting those associated with the investigation," Light said as he spun a pen in his hand. L watched him with a small smile. He had a thoughtful expression, eyes slightly narrowed. "Now that Gema is in the news again, it may be likely that he will continue making these deaths theatrical."  

As if Lights words caused the future, Soichiro's phone rang. "Hello?" He answered. "What? What do you mean there's been a murder?" All eyes turned to the Chief. He swore and pressed a palm to his face. "Yes, if it's suspected to be related to the Gema case I will come deal with it myself." The phone clicked shut and he turned to the rest of the team with a grave expression. "Our newest detective was just murdered." 

"The Fool," L said quietly. "A new detective just starting out on his own personal journey." 

"Aizawa, Mogi, let's go investigate." As the three of them left, L turned back to stare at his computer screen. Never before had he felt so helpless. Was he supposed to just let each murder slip by? 

Clenching his hand, L turned back to the others. "We need to focus our efforts on finding Gema, searching for the victims will not get us anywhere!" 

"But if we could save them-" Matsuda began to say. 

"No one will be safe until Gema and Beyond Birthday are executed." 

The rest of the team nodded.

Hours ticked by as Light and L continued to watch the prison footage. The others looked through record after record, trying to locate where the stolen succinylcholine as well as watching footage of traffic cameras and various security cameras to attempt to catch a glimpse of Gema before he killed the latest three victims. Soon it was night again and everyone except Light and L had retired for the day. L had just about given up. Beyond Birthday was too clever. The camera couldn't see the crossword puzzles well enough and the microphone in the cell had been broken early on it his stay. L wasn't sure whether or not Beyond managed to break it or convince Gema to break it. He paused his own video footage and looked to Light, who intensely watched the other feed. With a sigh, L leaned his head against Light's shoulder, hugging his knees close and closing his eyes. 

"L?"

"Maybe we need to start investigating the guards' families," L said, half to himself and half to Light. "They could be committing the crime. What I really fail to see in all of this is their motivation for helping him. What do they gain?" 

"I don't know," Light said. "Maybe they're not gaining anything." 

"What do you mean?" 

"You said that Beyond Birthday claimed he could see when people died? Maybe he predicted someone's death out of pure coincidence and they obeyed him because of that?" 

L hummed quietly under his breath. "Yes, that would make sense. Though we still need to figure out who the guard he tricked was." Before L offered anything else, he felt Light's hand on his head. 

"Your hair is soft," Light said quietly. 

Once again, L was reminded of how terribly selfish he was. "Is it?" He asked. Light's hand shifted as he ran it through L's hair. Raising his head, L met Light's gaze. His eyes were gentle and partially shut. "Is yours?" L reached up and pushed back Light's bangs, running his hand down the back of his head and resting it on the back of his neck. "It is." 

"L." 

Was Light trembling or was it L's imagination? They were so close that L could feel Light's breath on his face. It smelled like coffee and the tiny bit of cake that L gave him earlier. It would be so easy to pull Light forward and kiss him. Did he want that? 

"We should go to bed." 

Embarrassed, L quickly pulled away. Of course, Light didn't want to kiss him. Where was he getting those fantasies from? "You're right," L said, pushing his chair back and leaping up to his feet. "I did promise I'd take better care of myself." His face felt hot and he kept his gaze from meeting Light's. Their relationship should be professional. Perhaps they could be friends at most, but nothing more than that. 

"L, where are you going?" 

"To bed, you should too. It's late." L slipped into the bedroom before he could cause himself any further embarrassment.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for your kudos and comments! Updates are on Mondays and Wednesdays.


	11. Chapter 11

None of the guards seemed suspicious. Most of them didn't even seem to talk to Beyond Birthday. They handed him a crossword puzzle and took it when he was done. They also came in to give him his meals, yet there seemed to be little pleasantries exchanged. One of them had to be Gema. Light leaned on his hand and glanced over at L, who stared intently at his own footage. What did he do wrong? He thought he made it quite clear what he wanted. Surely, if he had said the same things to any woman they would have understood. Light wanted to be close to him, closer. He should have just kissed him. Then, a worried thought crossed Light's mind. Maybe, L was interested in him like that. It was entirely possible. Light was younger and still in college. Though Light was certain that L saw him as an equal. 

"Ryuzaki!" Matsuda's voice snapped Light out of his thoughts. "Look, I think I have something!" 

"Do you?" L stood and walked over to Matsuda, leaning over the man's shoulder. 

Sayu choose that moment to slide into the chair next to Light. She mimicked his position, leaning her head on her hand. "Big brother," She said, keeping her voice quiet. Though she spoke in a sing-song tone. "You've been staring at someone all morning." 

"No, I haven't," Light replied. 

"Yes you have," Sayu said. Her eyes turned mischievous. "Let's go on a walk and I won't point it out to him." 

"You could go by yourself," Light said with an irritated sigh. 

"Dad would be worried, plus we haven't really hung out in a while." 

 It would be nice to get out of the room. "Okay." He stood and stretched. "Sayu and I are going on a walk." 

"We'll be back later!" Sayu waved as she hurried to the door. Light noticed she was wearing one of the new dresses. It was a sleeveless pale purple dress, which faded into a darker purple from the top to the bottom. 

The pair of siblings left the hotel and Light followed Sayu's lead as she headed toward the park. "Summer's almost over," Sayu said. "And I still have a lot of homework left, you finished all yours at the beginning of summer huh Light?" 

"I did," Light said. It was nice to pretend that everything was normal, even if only for an hour. "You have all math left, don't you?" 

"You'll just have to keep tutoring me," Sayu said with a mock sigh. She skipped ahead to one of the ponds and began to cross the bridge. 

Before Light could catch up with her, he heard someone call, "Hey Sayu! We haven't seen you all summer!" There were two girls around Sayu's age coming from the other side of the pond. They ran over onto the bridge and the three of them hugged. 

"Mahiko! Yukari!" Sayu said with a bright smile. "It's good to see you!" 

"You must be busy," One of the girls said, leaning back to smile at Sayu. 

"No, not really," Sayu said. "I've just been spending a lot of time with my brother."

"Oh, you're super handsome older brother?" 

Light approached the group and coughed quietly. The two girls' eyes whipped up and they both blushed a bit. "Hello," Light said with a slight nod. 

"We were just out on a walk," Sayu said, grinning. 

"Hey Sayu, that dress is out of Misa Misa's collection isn't it?" 

"Wow, it must have been really expensive!" 

"Yeah, it was." Sayu laughed. 

"Who got it for you?" 

"Oh, it was-" Sayu broke off as she considered her answer. "My brother's friend." 

The girls exchanged a glance and then shrieked, making Light wince. "Are you dating a super cool older guy?" 

Their question caused Sayu to burst into laughter. "No way!" She said, waving her hand back and forth. "He's totally in love with my brother anyway!" 

"Sayu!" Light's face turned red from embarrassment and he looked away. "Don't spread untrue rumors about me." 

As the girls giggled, Light turned to hurry away. "Bye! We should get going!" Sayu hurried after Light with a cheeky grin on her face. "Sorry, it just slipped out." Light didn't believe her for a single second. "Plus, it's not a rumor if it's true!" Light decided not to grace her justification with a response. They walked along to the other side of the pond, where Sayu sat down on the bench, glancing up at the sky. 

"Sayu," Light said. "Maybe you should go home." It was sudden and awkward, but Light had been thinking it for a while. Was it really that healthy for Sayu to be constantly surrounded by the case of her kidnapper? 

"Sometimes I want to," Sayu said. "But I want to see this through to the end." She swung her legs back and forth and closed her eyes, smiling in the warmth of the sun. "When Gema abducted me, I thought I'd never see sunlight again. I don't want anyone else to be scared like that again." She looked at Light without a trace of a smile as she said, "I know I'm not as helpful as most of the team, but I have made some contributions." 

"You have." 

"So, I want to continue to help, even if it's just by picking up coffee with Matsuda or making lunch for everyone," Sayu said. "I want to catch Gema." 

Light nodded, smiling as he reached out to ruffle Sayu's hair. "Of course," He said. "Thank you for your support." 

As they began their walk back to the hotel, a scream filled the air. "Someone help! A man's been murdered!" Sayu and Light exchanged a worried glance, before Light ran towards the scream, holding his sister's hand tight. They came around a bend in the path and saw ahead of them a huge tree. From one of the branches hang a man bound by his right foot. His eyes were dead and lifeless, yet his face seemed almost serene. 

"The Hanged Man," Sayu said with a quiet gasp.

Light swore as he pulled out his phone to call L. Why did Gema kill again so soon? That made three murders all in a row. Light wondered if they should expect a new murder every day. "Light, what is it?" L said. 

"There's been another murder here in the park," Light said. 

"The Hanged Man?" L's voice sounded calm. "So Gema is killing one victim each day." 

"Yes," Light said. 

"Stay there. The rest of the investigation team will arrive shortly." Light closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. 

"Sayu," Light said quietly. "Do you know what's next?" His sister clung to his arm, hugging it tightly. 

"I think it was Judgement," Sayu said quietly. "But I thought Ryuzaki said it doesn't matter?" She stared up at Light with a worried look. "How many more people are going to die?" 

"There's twenty-two cards," Light said, continuing to keep his voice low as the crowd gathered. "Three of them have been played resulting in four deaths. I would say we should expect at least nineteen more deaths, though some of the cards may result in more people being killed." 

"And Gema will kill Ryuzaki last," Sayu said. "Because he's Justice." Light clenched his hand. 

"I won't let him get anywhere near L," He said, fury in his voice. Sayu nodded, leaning her head against her brother's shoulder.

The cards were pinned to the main investigation board, each of the victim's names listed next to them. Sayu traced her hand over the card after Judgement. It was the Tower. "We should probably expect multiple victims for that one," L said as he paced the room. "Perhaps we need to look at where Gema obtained the explosives from that trap he set for us." 

"They were homemade," Aizawa said with a frustrated sigh. "There was nothing for us to track." 

"He must have slipped up somewhere." L's pacing continued. 

"Ryuzaki," Soichiro said with a sigh. "I think we should retire for the day." 

"If we don't find something soon someone else will die tomorrow." 

"What are we supposed to do?" Aizawa snapped as he stood. "We have no leads! No suspects! We don't even know who the next victim is going to be." L stopped, glancing back to the team with his hands shoved into his pockets. "I think we should take the time to go home and rest. We can all get here bright and early to deal with the carnage." 

"Fine," L said. "Leave." 

As Soichiro went to leave he paused and looked to Sayu. "I'll stay here with Light," She said. "It's probably safer anyway, right?" Soichiro nodded and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before leaving. She exchanged a worried glance with Light, which L pretended he didn't see. "Ryuzaki?" She said. "Maybe it would be good to take a break." 

L ignored her. With a sigh, Sayu stood and stretched, disappearing into the kitchen. She came back out with a cartoon of ice cream and several bowls. L glanced at her and said, "I'm not hungry Sayu." She smiled and returned to the kitchen again, coming back with an armful of different candies, sprinkles, and whipped cream. She sat back on the couch and scooped out the ice cream before coating each bowl with the combination of toppings. 

"There's nothing more we can do right now," Sayu said. "So, let's all take a break and eat some ice cream together!" Light sat beside her and smiled, looking to L. "Please?" 

With a sigh, L walked over and perched in the chair next to the table. He took the ice cream from Sayu and ate a small bite. It was cold. "You should have left the carton out a bit longer," He said, sucking on the spoon. "It's too cold." 

"You're so picky," Sayu said, before shoveling an entire spoonful into her mouth. "Light is picky too." L glanced over at him. He sat on the couch next to his sister, eating the ice cream slowly, as he stared at the board. He had been quiet since they found the Hanged Man. L stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. As he took another bite he thought back to the previous night. Would things continue to be strange between them? L wished he could just ignore his feelings. 

"Hey Ryuzaki," Light said. "You're staring." 

"He's not the only one," Sayu said quietly and Light glared at his sister. 

"I was just thinking about the case," L lied. "Also, if you're not going to eat that ice cream, I'll have it." 

"I'm eating it at my own pace." 

L shrugged and quickly finished his own ice cream. He scolded himself for continuing to stare at Light and looked away, instead trying to think more about the case. He heard Light stand and glanced at him as he walked over with a small smile. "What is it?" 

Light laughed and reached out with his thumb. "You have whipped cream all over your mouth." He swiped his thumb over L's lips and wiped it on a napkin. L felt his face grow hot as he stared up at Light's smile. "There." 

It was such an inappropriate time to fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for all your kudos and comments!


	12. Chapter 12

The next victim was a TV personality famous for mocking pop culture stars. Her body was found hanging from the office in the early morning. She was dressed in an angel costume. It became clear at that point that all of the murders were well planned out in advance. "Gema can't be choosing random victims," L said to Light one evening. He gestured to the footage of the prison. "Beyond Birthday must have directed him for them at this point. Those crossword puzzles have all the answers, but which guard is Gema? What are we missing?" 

The frustration was plain on L's face. Light watched him, leaning on one hand. If the case continued for much longer like that Light worried about how much more L could take. He reached over and gently laid his hand across L's. "I don't think we're going to get much more done tonight." 

"No, we need to keep working." 

"Do you at least want something to drink?" Light smiled and squeezed L's hand, trying to be as comforting as possible. 

"You'll drug it." 

Scoffing, Light shook his head. "I did that once." 

"Yes and I doubt whether or not I can trust you to not do it again." L pulled his hand away to keep working. "Especially when I need to work." Light sighed. Clearly, he had no real plan to get L to go to bed. 

"You're going to work yourself to death," Light muttered under his breath. L ignored him.

Over the next several days, Light noticed L's sleeping habits getting worse and worse. It seemed the dark circles under his eyes had doubled in size. The murders continued, citizens dropping dead like flies. The Magician, the Emperor, the Empress, and the Hermit all passed by, each death driving Tokyo into more of a state of panic.

Light stared at the next card in line. It was the Tower. Sayu leaned over his shoulder, looking at the card as well. "It's probably not just one person, right?" She asked, eyes wide from worry.  

With a shake of his head, Light handed the card back to Sayu and turned to speak to L, "Ryuzaki, I think we-" He broke off as he saw the stressed expression on L's face. "Hey, are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," L said. 

"You're not fine!" Several of the other task force members glanced up at Light's outburst. Light stood and spun L's chair around, grasping his shoulders tightly. "Listen to me, destroying yourself over this case is not going to help us catch Gema any faster!" L stared back with wide surprised eyes. "Please, you need to take better care of yourself." He gently rubbed L's shoulder with his thumb. "Okay? We will catch Gema, we just need to-"

Lights began to flicker on and off as the whole building tremored. Light looked up as everything settled and dust fell from the ceiling. "An earthquake? No, it was too short." L pulled away from Light and looked out the window. "An explosion." The rest of the team rushed after L and huddled by the window, staring out. The towering building across the street was on fire. People rushed from it as it began to crumble. "It was the Tower."

People were going to be terrified. The string of murders had already caused unrest throughout Tokyo. As far as the public knew, everyone was in danger. In a way they were right. Light looked to his father. "We'll need to address the public about this," Soichiro said with a solemn gaze. 

"We need to catch Gema now," Aizawa said, irritation clear in his voice. "How many people are going to be killed before everyone loses complete faith in us?" 

"We're so close," L said. "We just need to wait for him to slip up. We almost have him." His eyes were frustrated as he paced the room, biting his thumb. 

"We're never going to catch Gema at this rate!" Aizawa said.

"You just have to have faith in Ryuzaki!" Sayu spoke up, shaking her head. "He can solve this!" 

"We haven't gotten any closer to finding Gema this whole time! We have no leads and are all going to die before this case ends!" Aizawa snapped back. "If Ryuzaki had acted quicker he could have saved you from being kidnapped!" Sayu's eyes widened and there were tears forming at the corners of them. 

"You're wrong!" She yelled back, stomping her foot. "Ryuzaki is doing his best!" 

"Which is getting us nothing! All we have is a pile of dead victims!" 

Light shoved himself between Aizawa and Sayu. "Shut up!" He nearly snarled at Aizawa. "Without L, the police would have no leads at all. We know that Beyond Birthday is responsible for manipulating this case and we know that Gema is one of the guards. That's more than you could have ever gotten on your own!"

 L was quiet. He stood far away from the rest of them, chewing on his thumb. Light looked to him, wondering what he was thinking. He pulled away from Aizawa and his sister to step closer to L. 

"We have no other choice," L said quietly. "We need to talk to Beyond Birthday." Light met his gaze. His eyes were wide, almost fearful. "Please keep everything here under control while I'm gone Light." 

"L," Light began and corrected himself. "Ryuzaki, you can't go. Let me." 

"No." The quickness of L's answer shocked Light. He tilted his head away, hiding his expression. "It is too dangerous. You can't go anywhere near him." 

"I can handle it," Light said, voice growing insistent. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched L's wrist. "He won't know who I am, I'll have the advantage. There's no need for you to worry." 

"Light, absolutely not." Soichiro stood and walked over to his son, grabbing his shoulder. "You could be killed!" Passion and fear shone in his eyes. "It was dangerous enough letting you work on this case and now you want to rush off to America alone? To go speak to a serial killer?" 

"Going to America would be taking me away from danger," Light said. "I can do this. I'll figure out who Gema is, I promise." He pulled away from his father and sought out L again. "Ryuzaki, you know it has to be one of us, so let me go." Again, L did not respond. Light sighed in frustration and grabbed L by the shoulders for the second time that day, whirling him around. L still did not meet his gaze. "L, please. I can do this. You trust me don't you?" L met his gaze and nodded ever so slightly before pulling away. 

Light couldn't see L's expression as he distanced himself, stepping lightly across the floor with his hands in his pockets. "I'll have Watari arrange a flight immediately." Before Light could say anything, L walked over to his desk, purposefully turning his back on the rest of the team.

It was an idiotic plan. L stared out the window as Watari drove them to the airport. He couldn't bear to look at Light. He was sending him to go speak to a complete psychopath. Someone who L had only met with once since his imprisonment. Though L knew that Light was correct when he said he was going away from danger, L felt as though he was sending Light directly into Hell. "He likes to play mind games," L said quietly. 

"Which is exactly why it's good that I'm going," Light said. "He doesn't know me." 

"He'll find some way to toy with you." 

"Ryuzaki is right in warning you Light," Watari said from the driver's seat. "Beyond Birthday is unstable. He is-"

"A complete psychopath," L said. He still couldn't bear to meet Light's gaze. He shouldn't be sending him there. No one should be subjected to Beyond Birthday. Especially not after what happened with A.  

"I'll be fine. Besides, you've insisted on me having an earpiece in, so you'll be there in spirit." 

L pulled at the frayed edges of his jeans. Even if he could hear the conversation, he knew he couldn't actually do much to protect Light. He hated exposing him to Beyond Birthday. He hated the thought that Beyond Birthday could creep into his mind and tear him apart from the inside out. Once they caught Gema, L swore that he would get him executed. The car slowed to a stop as they arrived at the airport. It was dark. Light would arrive in Los Angeles in about ten hours. It would be around noon when Light arrived. He would have the day to settle in and then at eight in the morning in LA time, one in the morning in Tokyo, he would go and speak with Beyond. 

"Take this," L said as he pushed his wallet into Light's hands. He withdrew his hand quickly and looked away. "If they ask for identification, show them that. You will act as L in my stead."

"Okay, is there anything else I should know?" Light asked. L simply shook his head. "I suppose I should get going."  

"Yes you should." 

"Ryuzaki, you haven't looked at me this whole car ride." The irritation was obvious in Light's voice. "Won't you say goodbye and wish me luck properly?" 

"Good luck." 

With an irritated sigh, Light opened the door and began to step out. It was irrational, but L had a sudden fear that he would never see him again. Raising his eyes, L reached out and placed his hand over Light's before he could get out of the car. Light looked back and said, "What is it?" 

"Be careful," L said and before he could overthink it, brought Light's hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss on his knuckles. "Come back to me."

"I won't let you down," Light said as L dropped his hand. He looked as if he was about to say something else when Watari called for him to hurry. "Talk to you soon." 

The car felt a bit colder without Light there. L leaned his head against the seat and closed his eyes. Behind his eyelids he saw the unwelcome scene of a rope hanging from a tree with a pretty young girl dangling along with it. Whenever he thought of B, thoughts of A always followed. He banished the image from his mind and instead thought of her smile.  

L heard the opening and closing of the driver's door again. "May I offer you some advice?" As he started the car engine, Watari met L's gaze in the mirror. With a slight nod, L looked away. "It may not be a good idea to get much closer to Light."

"I know that." 

"As L, you have to travel the world. Your work schedule does not allow much time for romance," Watari said. "I hate to say that, but it's something you've known since you were young." Watari's words stung but he was right. The unwanted image of pretty young A with her bright strawberry blonde hair in her dark black coffin rose again in L's mind. He folded his fingers together, squeezing until his hands ached.

"I know fully well what I lost, you do not need to remind me." 

Watari met L's cold gaze in the mirror. He sighed and continued, "That being said, I think you are fully capable of choosing your own path." 

"Are you being cryptic Quillish?" L asked with an irritated grimace. "Do we really choose our own paths? I suppose we are more likely thrown into them and then drug along." 

"I am simply saying that while it would be difficult," Watari began carefully. "Perhaps you should allow yourself to be drug down that path, as you call it." 

"Oh?" 

"Light Yagami is a good match for L Lawliet," Watari said quietly. "You suit each other. It had been a long time since I'd seen your smile. Yet, Light brought it back." 

L did not say anything else, choosing to watch the street lights as they passed by. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for your kudos and comments!


	13. Chapter 13

The prison that Beyond Birthday was locked up in was much nicer than Light expected. He held his head high, scanning the area as he approached the entrance. "Present them with my wallet," L said through the earpiece. "As far as they know, you are L. When I visited before I didn't let any of them see my face." 

"Right." 

The guards were surprised at first, but quickly ushered Light inside. Within a few moments tall American man came to greet Light. He stood at attention and nodded his head. Light glanced to his ID badge and looked back at him with a pleased smile. "L," The prison warden said. "It's a pleasure to meet you." 

"Likewise," Light said and shook the man's hand. "Though I wish I wasn't here because one of your inmates is suspected in coordinating several murders, a kidnapping, and at least two terrorist attacks." The prison warden's face went pale. Light didn't let him get a word in and continued, "Take me to Beyond Birthday's cell." 

The tapping of their shoes filled the long concrete hallways as the prison warden led him to the cell. Apparently, L had it built specifically for Beyond Birthday. It was at the furthest end of the prison, away from every other prisoner. Only guards ever headed down the hallway before it. There was no access to the Internet or television. The cell had a small selection of books and the prison later gave Beyond access to crossword puzzles. L thought of that as a fatal mistake.

"Here we are." The prison warden opened the door. Light looked over his shoulder to see Beyond Birthday sitting on the bed, facing away from the door. His hair was patchy on his head, more grown in then in the video footage, but still very clearly damaged. "L is here to see you." Light stepped inside and the warden closed the door behind him. 

For a moment, Beyond Birthday did not move. Light wondered if he should say something, but then Beyond shifted on the bed. "It's been years," Beyond said, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "If you're here then it must have begun, right?" He turned and the grin on his face disappeared, changing to a scowl. "You're not L." 

"Don't give him any clue of who you actually are. Stay quiet for now," L said, voice tense.

Beyond stood and strolled around the bed. Light held still as the man circled him, like a predator would to prey. Every inch of him was scarred from the burns. He looked like a monster straight out of a children's fairy tale. "So, are you a successor? Last I heard, Near and Mello were the successors though I wouldn't put it past L to drop them for someone else." The scowl flipped back to a grin. "You're handsome, a good face like that would help gain trust." He slid his fingers across Light's cheek and Light immediately slapped his hand away. His skin crawled from where Beyond Birthday touched him. Over the earpiece, Light heard L draw in a sharp breath. 

"You said that it must have begun," Light said, struggling to keep his composure. Everything about Beyond Birthday gave him an eerie feeling. The man seemed almost supernatural. Beyond walked away, returning to the bed. "That means you are an accomplice." 

"To the murders in Japan?" Beyond titled his head back over his shoulder. "Oh of course. Though I would call myself the show master, not the accomplice." He narrowed his eyes at Light. "It looks like your life isn't in danger. You have a long life ahead of you." His grin widened as he said. "Moon Yagami." 

"How does he know that?" L's voice grew louder with each word. For him, it was almost hysterical. "He shouldn't know your name, especially not the spelling of it." 

"Your expression didn't change," Beyond said. "You're such a calm and collected guy. You're well put together. In more ways than one." Instead of sitting normally as he had been, Beyond slipped into the same position L always sat in. "Moon is an interesting name for a young man. I'd imagine it would be more fitting for a beautiful woman. Unless your parents were those who jumped on the cool naming fad? How do you actually, read your name?" Beyond grinned even as Light remained silent. "You're not going to answer? That's fine. Tell me pretty boy, who are you to L?" 

"Which one of the guards are you using to commit the murders?" Light said, ignoring the attempts to rile him up.

It was unsettling how much like L Beyond was capable of being. If his physical appearance was not so different, Light might have mistaken him for L. Beyond pushed his thumb against his lips as he responded, "Why would I tell you? I gain nothing from that." 

"Maybe we won't execute you," Light said. 

The response was a chilling laugh. It filled the room and Light felt a wave of uneasiness as Beyond continued to laugh and laugh. "You don't actually mean that." 

"We aren't achieving anything," L said. "You should leave." His tone had become much more urgent. "You could be in danger, someone gave him your name."

For the moment, Light ignored L. He stepped closer to Beyond, trying his best to look menacing. "Oh, I know," Beyond said. He leapt up suddenly, dropping his imitation of L. "A handsome young boy like you and you are clearly intelligent, maybe L's in love with you! He's a bit of a hopeless romantic that way!" Snickering, Beyond paced around Light again, though Light stepped away to prevent him from completing a complete circle around him. "Huh, pretty boy? Is that it? It would explain why he trusts you enough to give you his whole identity. There's only ever been one other person he's trusted that much."  

"You used the crossword puzzles to write out your plans," Light said, ignoring his comments. "That would have taken a long time." 

"It did," Beyond said with a shrug. "But you'll never prove it. Even the recording now won't prove anything. They'll say I've gone crazy from years of solitary confinement." He touched Light's cheek again, leaning close enough to breath down his neck. "Back to the more important topic, has he kissed you?" 

Light slapped Beyond's hand away and quickly stepped back again, realizing that Beyond had been subtlety cornering him. His heart pounded in his chest from fear and he felt dizzy. The room's air seemed to thicken with each passing minute. "He's just trying to rile you up," L said. Light clenched his fist. He knew that. What he despised most was how it was working. 

"Which guard?" Light asked again. 

"I'm not going to tell you," Beyond said. "Especially with L listening to our every word." He gestured to Light's ear. "I saw that earpiece. You're just his plaything huh pretty boy?" Beyond's eyes were a dark kind of mischievous. "Has he fucked you yet?" 

"There's no point in staying any longer, he's just going to keep-"

"Will you answer my questions if I speak to you alone?" Light said, cutting L off. 

Beyond grinned and tilted his head to one side. "Maybe." 

"Light, don't-"

Before L could finish speaking, Light pulled the earpiece out and switched both it and the camera off. "There, now answer my questions." 

"It's more fun to watch you writhe around trying to figure it out," Beyond said. "Pretty boy, tell me, do you love that detective? There's no point, L's job description doesn’t make time for romance or friendship." With a clap of his hands, Beyond gasped. He brought a hand to his lips and shook his head. "You haven't done anything have you? Oh no, I know your type. The kind who will do anything to please your parents. You'll likely marry some nice woman and have some lovely children and live your whole life being miserable." 

Light decided it was time to stop letting Beyond Birthday have his fun. "You are not in a position to act this way." He stepped forward, forcing the other man back. "Tell me the answers to my questions." 

"Here's an answer," Beyond said. "You'll never figure out who the killer is. This won't end until L is dead. I look forward to his cold body rotting in the dirt where that half-rate detective belongs. I suppose you'll be laying flowers on that grave huh pretty boy?"

That was the last straw. Light couldn't control his anger any longer as he grabbed the front of Beyond Birthday's shirt and slammed him into the wall. The man tried to wriggle free but Light pinned him with his arm. "Listen to me," Light growled. "You are not as clever as you think you are. We will bring you to justice and it will not be kind to you." 

"Scary," Beyond Birthday said. "There's a passion in your eyes, a fury. I've seen the same look in my eyes. I bet you could have become a serial killer in another life."

Disgusted, Light let him go and backed away, hurrying to leave the room. "You will be executed for your crimes." Light left before Beyond could get a single more word in. The prison warden looked to Light with a nervous look. "Change all of the guards. No one who has interacted with him before is to ever be allowed in that cell again. I want him blindfolded and gagged twenty-four seven. The gag can be removed for meals, but no one is allowed to speak to him. Make the guards wear ear plugs if they must." 

"L, that seems a little excessive." 

The prison warden shrunk back as Light glared at him. "Do it." As he walked away, Light could feel himself trembling. He put the earpiece back in and switched everything back on.

"You lost your composure," L said immediately. "Did you think I wouldn't watch from the prison cameras?" Light couldn't bear to say anything. He was right. Beyond Birthday had gotten to him, he succeeded in riling him up. He acted out of frustration and anger. "Light?" 

"I don't want to talk about it," Light said softly.

"I knew I shouldn't have sent you there." Regret filled L's voice. "I'm sorry." Again, Light didn't respond. "Please be safe on your return home." 

"Ryuzaki-" Light began to say, but cut off as he heard the line go dead. "Damn you." 

Closing the laptop, L clenched his hands to stop himself from shaking. How could he have ever let Light step into that room? "That was completely useless," L said. He felt a gentle hand on his arm and glanced out of the corner to see Sayu smiling at him. 

"We learned that the crosswords are how he got the information to the guards," She said. 

"I already knew that. I didn't need to put Light through that to learn something I already knew." He pulled away and stood, walking over to the kitchen. To his annoyance, Sayu followed him. "Go to bed. You shouldn't have stayed up for this." 

"I know Beyond Birthday just said it to make him angry," Sayu said quietly. "But, are you in love with Light?" 

"Goodnight Sayu." L opened the fridge and pulled out a slice of cake, strolling back past Sayu to the living room. "Sleep well. I'll help you with your homework in the morning since Light's still gone." 

Much like her brother, Sayu was determined to not drop the topic just because L tried to change it. "I won't tell him. I just want to know." L looked to her and saw her eyes were warm and inviting. She smiled at him again. "I know that Light likes you a lot. I couldn't tell you his exact feelings though." 

"Once this case is over I will never see you or your brother again most likely," L said as he shoved a large bite of cake into his mouth. "So my feelings don't matter." 

"You don't have to never see us again," Sayu said. She kicked the floor in frustration. "Boys are always so stubborn about admitting how they actually feel." L glanced at her. "All I can say is that I know that you and Light are really alike. You're both way smarter than the rest of us and I don't think he's ever met someone who's really understood him before you." Clutching her hands in front of her, Sayu looked at the floor and then back up to meet L's gaze before saying, "I think it's the same for you too." 

L looked away, continuing to eat the cake in silence. 

"I think you should tell him how you feel," Sayu said. "You don't have to tell me." The sound of her feet against the floor echoed as she walked away. "Goodnight L." 

"Ryuzaki," L corrected, but it was pointless as he heard the bedroom door shut.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for your kudos and comments!


	14. Chapter 14

The same unmarked car showed up to pick Light up from the airport. He yawned, rubbing at his eyes as he got in. Sitting in the backseat, L immediately met his gaze and said, "Welcome back, nothing major has occurred in your absence luckily." 

Before Light reply, Sayu leaned back from the front seat. "Light I'm so happy you're back! Ryuzaki is horrible at helping me with homework," She said with a small frown. "He just does all the problems with no explanation on how to solve them." 

"It gets done doesn't it?" L asked. 

"But I don't learn anything!" 

Light rubbed his eyes and sighed in frustration, "I'll help later Sayu, but I'm really jet lagged. What time is it?" 

"A little after two," Sayu said. 

Light groaned. "I need to take a nap." He leaned his head back, feeling the quiet rumble of the engine as the car jerked forward. He felt L's hand on his and turned his head meeting L's gaze. The detective looked concerned though he didn't voice it. He fiddled with the ends of his jeans, glancing down and back up before sighing. "I'm okay, just tired," Light said quietly. He took L's hand and shot a glance to see if Sayu was looking. She wasn't. "I came back to you didn't I?" Light said as he pulled L's hand up and kissed the back of it. 

"You did," L said with a relieved smile.

When they arrived back at the hotel, Light went straight to his and Sayu's room, shutting the door behind him. He sighed and laid down onto the bed, face first into the pillow. Clenching his hands, he thought back to his encounter with Beyond Birthday. Was everything he said true? Surely, if Beyond could imitate L so well he must have known him. Who else did L trust enough to hand over his identity? Light couldn't even imagine L showing his face to anyone else. Light shook his head and crawled under the covers. It didn't matter what had happened in L's past. He sighed and closed his eyes. He needed to focus on the case, not on his and L's relationship. Matters of the heart could wait. As Light fell asleep, he considered the guards, going over their names and faces in his head. Which one was it? 

It was in the middle of the night when Light realized what they had been missing. He scrambled to get out of bed and rushed to the main room. Still awake, L glanced up with a curious look. "The dead guard," Light said. "It was him!" He hurried over to the files and threw them aside, reaching for the one on the bottom. "Beyond Birthday must have won him over by guessing when he would die." Light flipped it open, scanning the text. "According to this, he died a year ago. That would have given them two years to plan the murders. We've only watched a year of footage and haven't seen anything. Perhaps the plotting didn't start until his second year of imprisonment." 

"Then Gema is someone in his family?" L stood and leaned over the case file, pointing to another name. "His wife? What does she do?" 

"She's a nurse," Light said. "She's not currently employed at any of the hospitals in the city. She must have quit recently to keep us from finding her. I bet she stole everything she needed from the hospital before leaving." Light scrambled to the computer. "We need to put out an arrest warrant!" He flipped the screen open, heart pounding from excitement. "I can't believe I didn't realize it before!" As he was typing, L leaned over his shoulder. "We've got her." 

"That was brilliant," L said quietly. Face flushed from adrenaline, Light turned and beamed at the praise. "Well done." 

"This will all be over soon," Light replied. L nodded, he had his thumb pressed to his lips. "L?"

"Close your eyes Light." 

"What? Why?" Light asked, tilting his head slightly. When L didn't reply, he sighed and complied. Sometimes it was better to just not question what L wanted of him. He felt L's hands on his shoulders and then for a brief moment, he felt L's lips pressed firmly against his. It was a chaste kiss. As L pulled away, Light caught his hand and pulled him back, kissing him again much harder. 

"I won't be able to stay," L said quietly when they broke apart. He leaned his forehead against Light's staring deep into his eyes. "I will have to travel for cases." 

"What about when there aren't any?" Light asked. "You could live here." 

L seemed to consider it. "Maybe," He said. "Though Watari is needed at home." With a small smile, L continued, "Though we only really need to work together during cases."

"Please think about it," Light said. "I want this to work. You're the only person I could ever call my equal."

Wrapping his arms around Light, L kissed him again. "I want this as well," He said quietly. "And I am a selfish person. It is hard to resist something that I truly want." 

"Be selfish then." 

Sliding his hand down L's arm, Light found his hand and grasped tight. "Let's go to bed," He said quietly. "For clarification, I don't mean separate beds." L blinked and breathed in sharply. 

"Oh, I thought you were rejecting my advances." 

"You are dense," Light said with a quiet laugh. He tugged on L's hand, walking to his bedroom with him. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow will be exciting."

"Plus, I'm willing to bet you're still jet lagged. You should get some rest." 

Slipping under the covers, Light laid on his side, wrapping one arm around L, who curled up tightly. Even in his sleep, he insisted on laying strangely. "Goodnight," Light said, kissing the side of L's head. He pulled him close. 

"Light, I love you." 

Light felt his face grow hot. "You're saying something like that already?" 

"Yes," L said. His voice almost seemed to shake. "I don't want it go left unsaid, I love you." 

"I-I love you too, L."

When the rest of the investigation team arrived in the morning, Gema or rather Yasuko Uyeno, had not been captured yet. "I want you to go to her address," L said to Soichiro, Matsuda, and Aizawa. "Arrest her if she is there." He turned to the Ide, Mogi, and Ukita. "I want you to check her last known place of work, it's at a mall not too far from here. She likely used it as a cover and I doubt she still works there, but it is worth a shot." He chewed on his thumb as he continued, "All NPA officers have been informed. Watari went to their headquarters this morning to direct operations there. Light and I will manage everything here." 

"Light, Sayu, and Ryuzaki will manage everything here," Sayu corrected from her spot on the couch. She laid back, flipping through a magazine. "We have the hardest job." 

"Please be careful," L continued. "She has already killed multiple people as we all know. She even managed to kill Naomi and Raye. Work together."

"Sir!" 

As the detectives left, Soichiro paused by the door. He looked to Light with a smile. "I'm proud of you. Good work." L glanced over at Light, who smiled and nodded to his father. "Be safe." 

All they had to do was wait. Light searched through the footage, watching Beyond Birthday interact with the guard. "He's showing him pictures." L looked over Light's shoulder. "Maybe Beyond told him when they would die too." 

"How does he know?" L wondered. "Was he just a good guesser?" Rubbing his thumb and index finger together, L let out a shaky breath. Beyond Birthday knew when A was going to kill herself. That was the basis for all of his ill will towards her. Beyond Birthday's treatment of A was something that had haunted L for a long time. He also knew Light's name just by seeing his face. There was no way a normal person could do such a thing. "It doesn't matter how he does it." 

"Though it is an intriguing mystery," Light said quietly. He stood up and stretched, walking over to the couch. He nudged Sayu so she could sit up rather than sprawling across the entire couch. L followed with the laptop. He set it on the table so that all three of them could watch. 

The camera feed turned on. "Can you see it alright Ryuzaki?" Soichiro asked. 

"Yes," L said. "Continue inside." 

The house seemed small and unassuming, but L held his breath as the detectives entered. Nothing happened. "I guess she didn't set up any traps," Sayu said, clutching a pillow tight to her chest. 

"Everything seems so normal," Matsuda said. "Well, except for that." He walked ahead of Soichiro over to the kitchen table. "This is a lot of crossword puzzles." Soichiro followed him and picked one up, flipping it open. Within the little boxes were detailed descriptions of each bizarre scenario. L's eyes widened in surprise as he scanned them. Beyond Birthday really had detailed every single part of his plan. The crossword puzzle Soichiro had before him detailed the tarot cards and how to burn them into the chosen victim's body. 

"Collect these for evidence," Soichiro said. "It's safe to say that Gema is not here." 

Both Light and Sayu looked relieved. L figured that at least their father wasn't in danger. Though he worried where Gema was. What was she planning? He switched to Mogi's feed. "Any news?" He asked. 

"They haven't seen her at week in almost a month," Mogi said. "It's like she vanished." 

L pressed his thumb to his mouth, thinking hard. Where else could Gema be? He tapped his hand on the computer and was about to respond to Mogi when the power cut out. They lost all of their connections and the room dimmed as the lights went out. "Oh," L said, looking up. "That might not be good." 

"I wonder if someone knocked down a power pole." Sayu stood and went to the window, about to open the blinds. 

Light rushed over to stop her. "We need to get out of here." He grabbed her wrist and turned back to L. "The door is still locked; the locks are battery powered. We could go down the fire escape." 

"I guarantee that Gema has thought of that," L said as he stood, eyeing the door. "I also bet that she used the power outage to sneak behind the desk and grab the keycard." With a sigh, he glanced around the room. "We should have moved hotels more often. She figured out where we were." 

There wasn't much there to defend themselves with. L was certain that Gema would bring a gun to the confrontation. It didn't matter if she followed the order of the tarot cards anymore. The plan showed her desperation to kill him. With a wry smile, L wondered if Beyond Birthday included that in his instructions as well. 

"Sayu," L said. "In my closet there is a silver briefcase. It's locked, the password is Lawliet. Go get the gun and handcuffs from it." 

Nodding, Sayu hurried off. As she left there was a click at the door. Both Light and L quickly hid, Light slipping behind one of the cabinets and L hiding behind a desk. The door slowly swung open and Gema walked inside. 

"Come out L," The woman said with a small smile. She looked mostly unassuming, but L immediately spotted the gun in her hand. "It's time to end this." Gema wore a small cross around her neck and plain black clothes. 

Peeking around the desk, L watched with a horrified look as Gema moved closer to Light's hiding spot. "Why are you doing this?" L called out, closing his eyes and pressing his back against the desk. If he held still long enough, Sayu would return with the gun. 

"Because it's God's work!" 

"God?" L asked as everything clicked into place. "Oh, you think Beyond Birthday is God?" 

"How could a mortal man know when people are going to die?" Gema's footsteps were coming closer to L's hiding spot. "He knew their names without us telling him! Only God knows each of us by our faces. He could tell us anything we wanted and so we believed. It was clear God had spoken to us." When L didn't reply, Gema turned, stepping around the room again. "So we pledged our lives to help him destroy the wrong-doer who imprisoned him." 

"Well if he was supernatural," L said and stood, carefully stepping into Gema's view. "He would be the devil. There's no doubt about that." 

Her face twisted into an ugly, rage filled expression as she raised the gun. "How dare you!" 

"L!" 

As the shot went off, L felt Light tackle him down to the ground, sending both of them almost smashing into the desk. The room spun and L felt something warm running across his skin. Shifting slightly, L looked down. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the blood pooling on his shirt, turning it red. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your kudos and comments. We are very close to the end and I would like to announce that the sequel, "Introspection", will begin the week after this story concludes.


	15. Chapter 15

Another shot went off. L raised his head, eyes wide with fear right as Gema screamed. She staggered backward, holding her arm. "You brat," She snarled at Sayu, who pointed L's gun at her. Before she could raise her own gun again, Sayu shot her once more, hitting her leg. Gema yowled in pain and dropped her gun. It clattered to the ground as she stumbled back. 

Tears streamed down the Sayu's face. "I won't let you hurt them!" She rushed forward and kicked Gema's gun away from her before quickly handcuffing her. "You can't hurt anyone else anymore!" Backing away, Sayu raced over to Light and L, collapsing on her knees beside them.

Sitting up, L pulled Light to his knees, where he collapsed against L's chest. "Light!" L brushed Light's hair out of his face, feeling the sweat building up there. Light gasped in pain, clutching at his shoulder. "You idiot! Why would you do that?" 

"You’re the idiot!" Light snapped back, looking up at him with a glare. "You were taunting the crazy woman with a gun! Were you trying to get yourself killed?" L hugged Light close, smoothing his hair down gently as he moaned in pain.

"Sayu, call your father." L leaned his head against Light's and kissed the side of his head. "It's okay. It's over now."   

"You could have died," Light said, clenching his jaw. "You both could have died." 

"Dad?" Sayu said, clutching her phone tight. "You need to get back here. We've caught Gema but Light was shot and he's bleeding everywhere!" She gulped, looking from her brother to L. "Please hurry!" 

"You're so stupid," Light continued, clutching at L's shirt. "Why do I love you? You complete idiot!" 

"How far away is Chief Yagami?" L asked, ignoring Light's insults. He continued stroking his hair in an attempt to calm him. 

"Five minutes?" 

"Go get the first aid kit." It had only been a few minutes, but Light's wound was gushing blood. He seemed to be growing more limp as his hand slipped from the wound. L pressed his own hand there, ignoring Light's yelp of pain. "You're lucky the hospital is close to here. Had we been somewhere else your decision would have been even more irrational." 

"I take it back," Light murmured as he tucked his head into the crook of L's neck. "I hate you." 

As Sayu hurried back with the first aid kit, L ripped Light's shirt and tossed the bits of it aside. He hurried to wrap the wound, pressing firmly. Light hissed in pain. It was not worth cleaning it. Once they arrived at the hospital they would redress it and clean it anyway. L spared a glance at Gema, who laid sideways on the floor with her chest heaving. He decided not to bother with first aid on her. 

"Is Light going to be okay?" Sayu asked, eyes red and wet. 

"Yes," L said. "Despite his best efforts." 

Shouting indicated the arrival of the rest of the investigation team. "L," Light said quietly. He was shaking. "Don't leave me." At that point, L realized Light was crying from the pain. 

"I won't. Can you stand?" L helped Light to his feet, though Light still leaned heavily on him. "Sayu, get-" Before he even finished, Sayu was on Light's opposite side, helping keep her brother up. She smiled back at L. 

"Light!" Soichiro rushed to his son. "Are you alright?" 

"L said I'll live." 

Nodding, Soichiro turned back. "Matsuda, drive them to the hospital. Aizawa and I will take custody of Gema." 

"She's been shot as well," L said. "I suppose we should keep her alive if we want testimony." Matsuda hurried to help, but L glared at him and he backed off. "We need to get to the hospital, go get the car." 

"Yes sir!" 

 

 

 

The trip to the hospital was a blur of pain and worried voices. As everything calmed and the ache in Light's shoulder settled, he was in a hospital bed. Someone held his hand tight. At first Light's eyelids felt heavy as he opened them, tilting his head to look. L sat in the chair, in his usual posture, holding Light's hand tight. He had his thumb pressed to his lips as he stared up at the monitors. For a moment, Light watched him, knowing that his worried expression would disappear the moment he spoke. Sayu slept in the chair on Light's other side. He noticed Watari's coat draped over her like a blanket. His father wasn't there, but Light guessed he was dealing with Gema and wrapping up the rest of the case. 

"Hey L." 

Immediately, L's attention snapped to Light. "Ah, you're awake." His eyes were still wide in fear. "How do you feel?" 

"Drugged up," Light said as he pulled L's hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "What time is it?" 

"3 in the morning." 

"You should be asleep." 

A mischievous look crossed Light's face as he looked back to L, who remained unamused. "I couldn't fall asleep until I was certain you were alright. Gunshot victims do have around a 10% chance of dying and a higher chance of dying from later complications."

"I'm alright," Light said. He tugged on L's hand. "Come here." At first L looked uncertain, shifting in the chair. "L, come here." Mumbling something under his breath, L obliged and let Light pull him to the bed. It was cramped, but the warmth was soothing. Light pulled L's face closer and kissed him hard, running his hand through the other man's hair. "Get some sleep. We won, didn't we?" 

"Yes, I suppose we did," L said quietly. "It only cost-"

"Be quiet." Light kissed L again, interrupting his statistical analysis of their failures. "We won." 

"We won." 

As Light stroked L's hair, he thought back to Gema's attack and faintly realized something. "Your name is L Lawliet." 

"Yes, it is." 

"You told us your real name." 

"Yes I suppose I did, didn't I?"

Shifting in the chair, Sayu blinked and yawned. She glanced over at her brother with a tired expression. Once she realized he was awake, she sat up straighter. "Light! How do you feel?" She leaned over and grabbed his hand, holding tight. "I was so scared for you." Before Light could respond, Sayu threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "Never do something like that again! Promise me okay?" 

There was no point in protesting. Light sighed and nodded. "I'll try to be more careful," Light said. He continued, faintly wondering if his blunt honesty was influenced by the morphine pulsing through his blood, "I would do anything to protect L though." Sayu pulled back with a curious look. She stared at L with a small smile. 

"Because you love him!" Sayu declared with bright excited eyes. She moved back into her seat, grinning widely. "I knew it!" 

Light didn't even bother denying it. He closed his eyes and leaned back, relishing in the warmth of L by his side. Since the case was over, it might be a long time before he got to sleep in the same bed as him. Everything was quiet. Within a few moments, Light heard L's breathing slow as he fell asleep. 

 

 

 

With the overwhelming evidence collected from Gema's house as well as the footage tapes of Beyond Birthday, both of them were sentenced to death. L took the liberty of expediting Beyond's execution. While Gema was in prison, she was no threat to anyone. After all, she wasn't the mastermind of the game. She was just the pawn. Light was released from the hospital soon after the case was wrapped up. Luckily, there was no major damage to his bones or nerves. It was all tissue trauma. Though he needed to exercise his shoulder to build strength back up. Light examined the wound in the mirror. Like Sayu, he would also bear scars from that case but they were not nearly as bad. 

"Light!" Sayu called from downstairs. "Hurry up! We're going to be late for lunch." 

"I'm coming!" 

With a heavy heart, Light headed down the stairs. It was the last time he would see L for a while, then it would be back to the same old monotonous routine. Sayu stood at the door, urging Light to hurry. "Let's go!" She wore one of the more gothic dresses from her favorite model's collection. The scars were neatly covered in makeup, Light doubted he could make them out even if he tried. 

"Have fun!" Sachiko called as the pair left. 

"You look upset," Sayu said, swinging her purse as she walked. 

"I'm fine." 

"Are you sad that L is leaving?" 

Light glanced away. "He has to." Before Sayu could tease Light anymore, he continued, "You did all your homework right? School starts again tomorrow." 

"Of course!" 

The café L choose was tucked in the least busy part of the main downtown. As usual, he was dressed in jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He waved to them from his seat, where he perched on the chair. "Hello." Light smiled and kissed L before taking the seat next to him. "I already ordered cake for all of us." 

"Cake is not lunch," Light said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

"Yes it is!" Sayu leaned forward with a smile and wide, excited eyes. "So what's your next case about L?"

"Don't call me that in public," L scolded her. "Also, I'm not going to talk about work in public." At Sayu's pout, he continued, "It's not very interesting anyway." Light glanced out the window in an attempt to hide his discomfort. "I wanted to talk to you about something else though Light." 

"What is it?" 

L touched Light's hand and he looked back to see the detective smiling. It was almost an embarrassed grin. He pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it, setting it before Light. It was an ad for an apartment in the heart of Tokyo, close to the NPA headquarters. Light frowned slightly and glanced between it and L, before L said, "I bought this." 

"To live here?" The flutter in Light's chest embarrassed him, but his smile spread anyway. 

"I was thinking," L continued, eyes flickering to the side as he pressed a finger to his lips. "Perhaps you could come live here too."

Across the table, Sayu gasped and choked on her water, coughing as she said, "You're asking him to move in with you?" 

"When?" Light asked. "Now?" The excitement in his voice made his face begin to turn red from embarrassment. He shouldn't sound so eager. 

"When I return from this case," L said. "It shouldn't take very long." 

"Of course I want to." Light grabbed L's hand and smiled. 

Leaning on her hand, Sayu grinned as she watched. "Guess everything's all wrapped up then. I can't wait to hear what Mom and Dad think!"   

"Sayu!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for your kudos and comments! The epilogue will be posted Wednesday.


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue takes place after both of the planned sequels for this story.

The class shuffled in and took their seats, staring out longingly at the nice summer day out the window. They chatted amongst themselves about the end of the semester until their instructor strolled to the front of the room. She wore a plain black dress and heels with her hair down. Around her neck was a bright scarf decorated with flowers. "Listen up everyone," She called, smiling. The young police in training were always rowdy, to begin with. "I have a fun lecture for you all today." The lights flickered off in the front as the powerpoint loaded. "At the beginning of the semester, I asked you to choose a case to analyze the suspect's motives. You will learn everything you've learned this semester to write your report." Pausing, the woman scanned the crowd. "I also asked you to vote on a high stakes case that I would help you analyze as practice for your final paper."

Most of the students perked up and they whispered amongst themselves.

"So you have chosen to focus on the Gema case solved by L and the NPA twelve years ago."        

Excited murmurs came from the gathered students. Suddenly they were bright-eyed. Many of them leaned forward, pens at the ready. 

"It was a good choice. I am one of the experts on this specific case." The slides flickered forward. "As you all know the Gema case was defined by an imitation of the infamous Wara Ningyo Murder case from LA. The killer left clues along the way, including burns on a young teenager whom they kidnapped." 

All of the student's eyes were wide in anticipation. 

"So, let me begin by letting you in a secret. If you've had friends taking this class it may not be a surprise to you, though." Pulling the scarf from her neck, the student's instructor revealed a heart with the roman numeral for six burned into her chest. 

"You were the kidnapped girl Instructor Yagami?!"

Even though it had been the third time Sayu had taught that particular lesson plan, the students were always still surprised. She grinned and nodded. "Yes," she said, leaning forward. The surprises didn't stop there. "I also thought I would call in some help for this lesson. Right, big brother?" 

All eyes whipped to the back of the room where Chief Light Yagami stood. He smiled and walked up to the podium. "You're so theatrical," He whispered to his sister, nudging her to the side. 

"That's why I was voted best instructor last year," She said. Whirling back to her class, Sayu continued, "So, let's go over the details, shall we? To fully understand this case, we must first talk about the Wara Ningyo murder case and for that, I have another guest here today." She tapped a key on the second computer and the other screen in the classroom displayed a large letter "L." 

"Hello students," L said warmly. 

The excitement in the room was tangible. Sayu stood at the front with her chin raised high. The instructor of the year award was in the bag, yet again. She let the students talk amongst themselves, glancing at Light with her proud smile. 

 

 

 

"I still think you could have come in person, it was perfectly safe!" Once class ended, Sayu walked with Light and L, standing between them with her arms linked to theirs. 

"Absolutely not," L said. "You should remember you're privileged to know my real face." He considered for a second and added with a gentle smile, "And name."

"I suppose," Sayu said. "But the better question is, where are you taking us for dinner?" At L's confused expression, Sayu gasped and looked to Light. "We're going out to dinner, right?" 

"Why?" Her brother asked. 

Pursing her lips in annoyance, Sayu pulled her arms free and strolled ahead of them. "Some family you two are!" She turned and was about to scold them when she noticed a shared look. "Hey! What are you scheming?" It became clear that the pair of them were teasing her. 

"Maybe you should remind us," L said. "I can be so forgetful. Let's see, it's not my anniversary. I know I wouldn't have to take you out to dinner for that." 

"It's not mom's birthday either," Light said, nodding. "What are we forgetting?" 

Before Sayu could say anything else, L held out a small blue present and kissed her on the cheek. "Happy birthday Sayu." 

Light dropped a red present in Sayu's hands and kissed her forehead. "You know we wouldn't forget." 

With a small smile, Sayu pulled open the presents. Light's contained a scarf decorated with Van Gogh's "Starry Night." After the Gema case, Sayu had become quite fond of them. They were pretty and covered her scars well. Beaming at her brother, Sayu pulled her current scarf off to shove it in her purse before putting on the new one. "It's beautiful!" She hurried to open L's present. It was much smaller. As she opened the box, light glinted off the small bracelet inside. "Wow!" Nestled inside was a diamond bracelet, with the diamonds shaped into a circlet of flowers. 

There was a smug look on L's face as Sayu put the bracelet on. Light narrowed his eyes at his husband but did not say anything. As Sayu expected it was only a few moments before L taunted, "My present is better, isn't it?" 

"Your present is gaudy."

"I like them both equally!" Sayu said before the pair could argue any further. She pulled them both into a tight hug. "Thank you, both so much! So where are we going to dinner? We can swing by my house to pick up-"

"We can't tonight Sayu," Light said. "There's a case." 

"We already took too much time off from it already." 

Sayu pulled back, staring at the pair of them intently. "I suppose you're not going to tell me anything about it?"

Both of them shook their heads before pulling away. "We'll take the pair of you out once it's over," Light promised. Just to annoy Sayu, he ruffled her hair. She pulled away and quickly straightened it. "See you later." L waved to her as well before the pair of them walked off, L reaching out to intertwine their pinkies together. Sayu watched with a small smile. Off went the best detectives in the world, as well as her two of her favorite people. The wind blew through her hair and she sighed happily, humming as she walked along. She had to hurry home. Touching the snowflake necklace at her chest, she wondered what surprise her absolutely favorite person had for her.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos! This has been a great experience and I hope you enjoy the rest of the series just as much!


End file.
